Corruption to Absolution
by L-stMemories
Summary: Quietly hiding in the looming shadows of his brothers, Silver questions his role in the Hedgehog trio: is his contribution worth his effort? Feeling neglect, injustice, and underappreciation, every battle with Eggman seems to dampen the spirit of the white hedgehog. Then, he comes across a malignant force, one that will evoke his desires and truly alter the course of his actions...
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

This story was inspired by 'Abhorrence Under My Skin' by Zavraan.

The chapters felt a bit blank without an Author's Note, so here I am.

This was my first proper attempt at writing Fanfiction. I tried to plan everything so as to not divert on unnecessary 'sideplots' or get completed distracted by trivial details. Hope it turned out fine!

Please enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to SEGA.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

"How?! How is this possible?! My robot was designed to be the epitome of _evil_ perfection!"

Sitting in the cockpit of a fuming automaton was none other than the notorious Doctor Eggman, whining after his usual loss to the hedgehogs. He seemed to be madly smashing the buttons on his control panel, trying to move his machine surrounded by a faint, psychokinetic hue.

"There's no way you can win, Egghead! It'll always be the same result whatever you try!" jeered Sonic.

"Let's get this over with; Chaos Blast!" screamed Shadow.

In no time, the metallic behemoth broke into a million jagged pieces of scrap, and a certain rotund scientist hastily scampered away as the general crowd closed in, giving their thanks to Sonic and Shadow.

"Heh, no biggie!" exclaimed Sonic; he turned to Shadow, "Another easy win, 'eh?"

"Humph. It was barely a fight. A worthless victory."

After moments of triumph, the crowd slowly dispersed. The blue and black hedgehogs prepared to head home when they stopped and looked back. Sonic called, "Silver, we're going."

The ivory-coloured hedgehog was standing, motionless, at a distance, one hand softly clutching his chest in pain. Only seconds after the azure hedgehog's call did he suddenly jerk his head up, as if snapped back into reality, and responded, "Coming!"

It sounded half-hearted and unenthusiastic.

Silver jogged a few steps, then deliberately slowed to keep distance between him and his brothers. Troubled thoughts once again flooded his mind as he kept his head low, golden orbs fixated to the pavement.

 _Why did I never receive the applause, the attention I deserve?_

 _Why is it_ always _them?_

It was Silver who tackled Sonic out of the way of Eggman's burning lasers, charring his own fur slightly; it was he who screamed "Over here, _Egghead_!" and took a few hits to the chest from the robot's swinging arm, to distract the enemy and buy his siblings some time; it was he who knocked Shadow to the side - as much as the ebony hedgehog was always careful and alert - just to be smashed in the chest, again. Most importantly, it was his psychokinesis that halted the robot, allowing the others to deliver the final blow of victory.

And yet, nobody seemed to appreciate his efforts and contribution to not just the battle moments ago, but the long list of missions he avidly participated in.

"Silver, come on!" yelled Sonic, a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"You're so _slow_!" shouted Shadow, a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"I'm coming!" he cried back. And this time, he broke into a sprint to catch up with the silhouettes of blue and black just as they vanished round the corner.

Meanwhile, the sun was disappearing beneath the horizon, and a beautiful twilight hung delicately on the edge of the darkening sky.

* * *

Sonic munched noisily on a microwaved chilli dog, occasionally receiving glares of irritation from Shadow, who merely drank a glass of milk. Silver had just finished his bowl of salad and was gazing dreamily into his own reflection in the concave container.

"I still can't believe -" Sonic gulped the last bits of his dinner down his throat, and burped loudly, "Sorry, heh; I still can't believe how Eggman never learns from his failures and mistakes."

Shadow growled in agreement.

"I mean," Sonic continued, overflowing with confidence, "It's almost as if he's purposely putting us into the spotlight!"

"We're all finished. Let's go," remarked Shadow monotonously, after a brief pause.

"Oh, right. Silver," Sonic interjected, as he cheerfully made his way up the stairs, "You're on kitchen duty tonight!"

The white hedgehog heaved a sigh.

"Don't forget to clean the table!"

"I know, I know…" he muttered dully; he stood up and began his duty.

 _The spotlight._

Silver frowned as he dusted the crumbs off the plates into the rubbish bin.

* * *

The next day, the three hedgehog brothers were lazily bathing under the sunlight in Central Park of Central City. Suddenly, tranquility was smashed into shards when an orange fox-boy came running in panic.

"Sonic, Shadow, you've got to help!"

"Tails?! What's the matter?"

"Eggman…he's back, again -"

"Already? Can't believe we're having some fun again so soon! We're on the case!" The _Blue Blur_ zoomed into the distance, closely followed by his black counterpart; the two disappeared round the corner no sooner than when they started running.

The white hedgehog cleared his throat in dissatisfaction.

"Oh, hi, Silver," Tails said, in casual breathlessness, acknowledging his presence.

He grunted, and propelled himself through the air, glowing a hue of aquamarine. He zipped through the narrow streets until he saw a mechanical terror towering over blue and black. Inside its stomach - a cockpit - as expected, was the mastermind Eggman.

"Didn't expect me to be back so quickly, did you, Sonic and Shadow!"

"Are you back for another well-deserved beating?!" seethed Shadow.

"Yeah! You came back so quickly because you couldn't stand not being defeated by us for _such a long period of time_ , right, _Egghead_?" joined Sonic.

"Grrr…I'll show you -"

And a comet of aqua rammed into the ferrous body of the machine, its sheer speed causing it to almost topple over, if only the scientist hadn't been grabbing tightly on the lever that controlled the movement of his robot, pulling it as he jerked to the side. When he recovered consciousness, he looked up.

"Oh, Silver the Hedgehog! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"Ha! Neither did I, Eggman! Prepare to be defeated again!" Silver declared resolutely. For a brief moment, he felt like a hero. "Guys! Let's do this -" and he looked back down to where Sonic and Shadow initially stood.

They weren't there anymore.

Exacerbating this awkwardness, Eggman sneered, "Oh, it appears that your brothers have abandoned you! I wonder where they went -"

And the machine trembled again. This time, the scientist lost his grip on the lever, and the automaton toppled over to Silver's side. He darted to the side and watched as it crashed onto the road - where he was hovering seconds ago - with a deafening _boom_.

"Easy enough!" Sonic called, standing atop of the fallen machine, drawing a few gasps of admiration from the congregating crowd of citizens. Shadow emerged alongside his brother.

"You can't get to me this time!" Eggman shouted hysterically, "My armour is unbreakable, impregnable, invincible! I can still attack, even on my side…!" The robotic arms began to gyrate wildly - with significant difficulty - in the air, its range not even close to its targets.

"No, you can't," stated Shadow, matter-of-factly, as he launched a barrage of Chaos Lance attacks at the rotating limb. It snapped off with unexpected ease, smashing into the machine itself, creating a visible dent. Then, it dropped to the floor, almost landing on top of several innocent observers. They cried frantically.

"Silver!" shouted Sonic, "You go protect the citizens!"

"Got it!"

"Shadow, let's do this."

"Anytime."

Balls of blue and black repeatedly launched themselves at the helpless mass of metal, with the sideways-scientist jabbing at his controls with a growing madness. No more than a few simple homing attacks did the job to the 'unbreakable, impregnable, invincible' armour as it gradually broke into pieces. Again, Eggman escaped into the distance. The crowd erupted with cheering and clapping, exalting the hedgehog heroes who saved the day as if it were part of their daily routine.

Silver stood fairly away from the crowd. The very few citizens he 'escorted to safety' (in the form of yelling a command, "Stand behind me!",) ran past him and filtered into the large group of the uninvolved. The exhilaration of the fight was long over, and cold, melancholic water washed over his heart.

Tails had called, "Sonic, Shadow, you've got to help!"

But not Silver. _He_ didn't need to help.

Even Eggman had remarked, "Oh, Silver the Hedgehog! Didn't expect to see you here!" _Even_ Eggman, his archenemy.

And on top of that, Sonic and Shadow seemed to have ignored him ramming into the machine; they then sent the robot toppling over to his side. His brothers were closer to crushing him than Eggman himself.

Not to mention that he barely made a contribution to saving the innocent citizens, let alone the battle.

Silver squeezed his eyes shut, calling for calm and darkness.

* * *

That evening, Silver sat alone at the dinner table, staring blankly at his sandwich and wondering where Sonic and Shadow went…

The door flew open, and his two brothers barged in, their faces sweaty with perspiration, but with a smug grin of victory.

"Where were you guys?" asked Silver.

"Silver - you wouldn't believe it - Eggman came _again_! In the same day, twice!" replied Sonic, unable to contain his triumphant enthusiasm.

"And, as per usual, we sent him crawling home," added Shadow.

"Oh. How great…" faltered the hoary hedgehog. Now he completely lost all his appetite, as much as the sandwich looked delicious. "How great…" he kept muttering.

"I know right!" Sonic seemed to not have noticed his apparent lack of excitement. "Anyways, I'm _absolutely_ starving. Silver, can you microwave a chilli dog from the cupboard for me? Set the timer to thirty seconds, please! I'll be right down." And he rushed up the stairs.

"Sure, no problem…" sighed Silver. Shadow still stood in front of the doorway, arms cross in a proud and aloof manner. He finally stepped in and closed the door.

"Shadow, what are _you_ having for dinner?" the white hedgehog asked absentmindedly.

But he received no reply as the ebony hedgehog wordlessly strode past him and disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

The park was mostly shrouded in the darkness of the nightlight. Only a few scarce road lights illuminated discrete patches of road and grass alike. Under one of the especially dimmer lights was a wooden bench. Silver walked towards the bench and sat down. He took deep breaths, sucking in the cool night air, hoping to control the hot sensations of indignity stirring to life inside him.

 _It just wasn't right._

 _It just wasn't fair._

 _Okay,_ he said to himself, _Calm down, Silver; whatever they do, they're still your brothers. Don't take it so seriously. They're just like that - they're made for the spotlight. Be compassionate. Be forgiving. Be appreciative of yourself. Be -_

And a figure appeared next to where he was sitting. A squeal of terror escaped his throat as he jerked up, but upon recognising who she was, Silver slouched back down again, mostly relieved.

"Hi, Blaze," he said.

"Hey, Silver. What are you doing here?" replied the feline.

"I…don't know," he stated blankly.

"You seem troubled. _Again_."

"No, I'm fine," the ivory hedgehog dismissed her remark hurriedly, "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind me; you _are_ troubled. What is it this time?"

Silver knew there was no changing topic; Blaze had effectively backed him into a corner - as always, when she interrogated him of his worries. He made one last effort to evade her suspicions, "Blaze, I _really_ am fine." He even tried flashing a childish smile at his best friend, though half of it turned out to be a twisted frown.

Blaze chuckled softly; in return, she gave Silver a proper smile, saying gently, "Silver, you're a terrible liar."

"Yeah, I _really_ am…fine…" He sighed audibly, looking to the ground where the patch of light met its end at the point of darkness.

"No, Silver, don't sigh," Blaze put her hand on the shoulder of the depressed hedgehog, "Talk to me; it'll make you feel better - what's wrong?"

Silver swallowed; "It's…Sonic and Shadow. _Again_."

"I thought so. What were they up to this time?"

"The usual things, you know…"

"Do tell a story, Silver."

Silver grunted. He didn't feel like talking anymore. But Blaze's golden irises shone with encouragement under the nightlight, beaming into his own. He moved a tiny inch closer to her.

"Um…Eggman came three times between the now and yesterday afternoon."

"Three?! That's quite astonishing."

"Yeah, but it only gave them more opportunities to snatch away the spotlight from me." Already, Silver was growing mad with anger.

"Tell me more."

"Well, yesterday, I sacrificed myself multiple times as their shield and a distraction to Eggman, and they make no mention of it at all afterwards. Not a single remark of appreciation!" The white hedgehog was unconsciously raising his voice, and he spoke faster and faster. "And people don't seem to notice me - I literally don't _exist_! This morning, Tails came over to call _Sonic and Shadow_ to defend the city against Eggman's attack, but not me, even though I was standing right next to them. Later, even Eggman didn't notice my presence; only after having rammed into his machine did he see me! But the worst thing was - Sonic and Shadow almost _killed_ me -"

"Silver, stop," The purple cat gave her unstable friend a warm squeeze on the arm. "Don't keep talking until you're relaxed and feel calm enough to continue." Silver paused, almost out of breath, panting frantically in fury. His eyes felt warm.

"I-I'm sorry, Blaze," he whispered shamefully.

"Don't be sorry," she said supportively, "Take your time."

After a while, the hedgehog's breathing become more even and inaudible, and he continued his story.

"So, my brothers almost _crushed_ me to death, and all they said to me was to go protect the citizens while they dealt the final blows…" He paused with uncertainty, and decided to finish his narrative here.

But Blaze did not overlook the small details; "What about the third fight?"

The ivory hedgehog looked into his lap and closed his eyes.

"I-I…I wasn't _even_ involved," he spat venomously, "I wasn't involved. I was simply excluded. They ran off to save the city once again, this time without even telling me! This is too much! This is absolute betrayal! It's unfair, unjust, uncouth! It's selfishness! It's theft of my personal glory and pride!" He was yelling, wailing, resentment resonating into the unilluminated landscape around.

"Silver! That's enough." Blaze had to deliberately project her voice to stop the ranting hedgehog. He looked at her with remorse, and she recoiled slightly.

"Silver, you're crying."

"Oh…am I?" he croaked, realising how dry and tired his voice was.

"Yes, you are," she delicately wiped the narrow stream of tears from his cheeks. Silver flushed.

 _She's just like a sister to me. At least, a proper sibling…_

"What should I do?" he asked naïvely; his golden orbs, gleaming with wetness, looked into hers.

"I think you should take things less seriously, as per usual," she said, smiling, "After all, nothing can change the fact that they're your brothers, am I right?"

"Yeah…"

"And don't ever forget," added Blaze with confident words, "The spotlight may be theirs, but the _nightlight_ is yours and yours forever."

"The _nightlight_ …" He paused for a moment, and smiled childishly. "Thank you, Blaze. You always make me happy."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Poor Silver. At least there's Blaze...(Silvaze, anyone? Wait, no. It's not meant to be like that. No. Not at all, no.) I hope everything turns out alright for him.

( **Spoiler** : It doesn't. *insert evil laugh*)

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. Do read on if you please. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Proudly introducing the villain, a menacing, threatening, life-consuming...weird blob of ink? XP

Please enjoy.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

Silver sat in his bed, covers wrapped tightly around his body, reading the last few pages of a fiction novel, _Soleanna_.

 **"But…but we would've never met each other! We would've never became friends!" cried Elise, "I don't care if Solaris would never have existed - no, I can't accept this!" She almost sunk to the ground, overcome with despair.**

 **"No, Elise, just smile. Everything will be alright," said the blue hedgehog, smiling, though not without a genuine sadness in his green orbs.**

 **Their gazes met each other's for the last time, and, after a momentous pause, the Princess of Soleanna blew out the Flames.**

 _Wait - she actually blew out the Flames?! Wow…_ Silver thought, _I'll read the epilogue tomorrow -_

And then he realised there was a strange blob of fresh ink on the blank area below where the paragraph and chapter had ended. Frowning, he poked it, once, twice, three times. It did not smudge or disappear. The more he looked at it, the more it annoyed him. He irritably rubbed the black dot over and over again, until his index finger burned; he switched to his median finger and continued, then the ring finger, and even his pinkie. But the ink remained where it was.

Defeated by frustration and confusion, he tossed the book to the floor. Immediately, he regretfully picked it up and replaced it on his bedside table. Silver turned off his bedside lamp and sunk back into his soft pillow. He was surprised at how exhausted he was. Eventually, he was no longer staring into the darkness of the room; sleep itself had manifested into his consciousness.

He did not notice that the words on the pages of _Soleanna_ were slowly fading, all being siphoned into the ink. It grew in size, form and shape, and, once the entire book was fresh and blank, slithered into the chest of the sleeping hedgehog.

 _"Silver the Hedgehog…" a voice hissed from somewhere._

 _"Who is it?!"_

 _And a hedgehog-like figure emerged, marching right up to him. His red sclera and snake-like pupils probed into the mind of the confused white hedgehog._

 _"Mephiles the Dark…?"_

 _"You are in a state of deep trouble."_

 _"What do you want from me?!" demanded Silver._

 _"Nothing, but the truth -_ your _truth." His mouthless muzzle twitched upwards, as if smiling. "Aren't you tired of being ignored, neglected?"_

 _Silver remained quiet; he didn't feel comfortable speaking to the menacing presence. To his stillness, the confronter laughed._

 _"Ha ha ha…yes, you know you are."_

 _"…No! I'm not! I'm absolutely fine!" declared the ivory hedgehog, his voice with a tinge of strain._

 _"Don't deny your true feelings; admit to them."_

 _"Leave me alone!"_

 _"Oh, you wouldn't want me to do that. I would be of great help to your misfortunes."_

 _Again, Silver was silent._

 _"It's all there inside you." Mephiles reached out his claws and poked softly at Silver's chest, where his heart beat dutifully beneath the skin. "You know you hate the way your brothers always snatch the spotlight away from you, the spotlight you truly deserve."_

 _He wanted to say no, to continue faking his kindness and loyalty to his brothers, even if just a dream. But the manipulative voice of the entity sang into his innermost thoughts, and he stammered inaudibly, "Y-yeah…I do."_

 _"If you don't take action and step into the spotlight, the nightlight will be yours and yours forever…"_

Silver woke up with a mixture of shame and vexation stirring inside him. His hands were slightly clammy with the essence of deep sleep.

He lay motionless under the covers, replaying the dream over and over again…

* * *

"Hey, Silver," called Sonic, "What kept you so long?"

"I…overslept."

Sonic shrugged. Shadow eyed him with suspicion, "That's a first."

 _Yeah,_ he thought to himself, _I never oversleep. Blaze was right - I_ am _a terrible liar._

Silver looked down in embarrassment and said nothing more. He shook off the last remnants of an unpleasant dream, and approached his brothers who stood in the centre of the park. _A little bit of exercise won't hurt,_ he hoped.

"Silver, it's your turn to be _Eggman_ today. You're pretending to invade the city, and we're gonna pretend to stop you, as per usual," said Sonic.

"Sure!"

He looked around. The park was quite spaciously empty, and there were scarcely any detached objects in range. That rendered his psychokinesis pretty much null.

"Uh…wait a second -" he stuttered helplessly.

"Ready or not, here I come!" yelled the blue hedgehog, as he swiftly launched himself towards his uncertain brother. A well-executed Axe Kick hit him square in the chest. Silver yelped in pain.

"Come on, Silver! That was _way_ too easy!"

"I wasn't ready!" he complained.

"It doesn't matter whether you were ready or not - in a fight, you've always got to be ready!"

"Grrr…alright, then! Psychic Knife!" A large wave of psychic energy homed in on Sonic; he jumped over it with ease.

"About time I come too; Chaos Spear!" screamed Shadow, firing missile-like projectiles at Silver.

He dodged and rolled to the side, then curled himself up for a Spin Dash. Using his psychic powers, he sprung into the air, high above his brothers, and cried, "Take this! Psycho Smash!" A powerful torrent of energy struck Sonic and Shadow, causing them to fly back.

He continued throwing Psychic Knives; they were like boomerangs that closed in towards Sonic and Shadow as they continuously dodged the attacks from all directions while retaliating. Only then did Silver notice a crowd was gathering.

A few exclamations from the surroundings distracted him.

And he received a Chaos Lance in the face.

The ivory hedgehog rubbed his forehead, where the attack had hit him. He ignored the cheering of the growing congregation. When he opened his eyes again, Shadow was rapidly approaching him with a Spin Dash. He concentrated his psychokinetic powers on the terrain below, and stirred the grass at the point where Shadow had passed. The black hedgehog lost his momentum as he slipped forwards.

For a brief moment, Silver was relieved, but Shadow was flying straight towards him, arms outstretched. He collided into him, a bullet of black into the snowy chest, and the two rolled backwards. Shadow hopped up and engaged in direct combat, fists striking the raised arms of the white hedgehog, who was barely managing to block off the rapid incoming attacks. Out of rising helplessness and a weird sense of frustration, Silver used his psychokinesis and pushed Shadow away. He regained control and quickly boosted himself into the air, scarcely avoiding a tackle.

And instead found himself amidst a whirlwind, stripping him apart from his psychokinetic control. Sonic was circling the ground from below. Silver tried to escape, but was sucked into the twisting vortex of wind. He lost control, being tossed around like a puppet, his vision nothing but a convoluted blur.

He dropped to the ground, face first, his head still spinning tremendously. A sour sensation flooded his nose as it hit the ground, prompting tears to his eyes. He could just barely make out the sounds of the crowd, whispering about him.

Sonic jogged towards his fallen brother, "Silver, that's far from good!"

"I-I'm s-sorry. Ugh." He couldn't help the quiver in his voice.

"With a standard of performance like this, you're absolutely no match even for someone as pathetic as Eggman!" added Shadow, only exacerbating the situation, "Let's try again."

Sonic held out his hand, "Get up, Silver."

"Th-thanks -" The white hedgehog reached for the hand.

And Sonic, in a flash, withdrew his arm, and executed a Windmill attack. Silver received a painful kick to the side of his head and fell down again.

"Silver! You always need to be on guard!"

"Now's not a good moment to waste our time, _Faker_ ," seethed Shadow.

"Okay, sorry. Do get up, Silver." This time, he bent down and hoisted his brother up, who intensely rubbed the side of his head.

Silver looked around. The countless pairs of eyes surrounding the park all stared at them. The crowd had grown significantly, and this made Silver very uneasy. He rubbed his nose, blinking quickly.

"Silver, this time, you go first," said Sonic.

"Uh…" He looked around apprehensively.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked menacingly.

"N-nothing. Everything's fine!" he took a deep breath, and boomed, "Psychic Knife!" He waved his arms and slashed out multiple oscillations of pure energy.

Shadow retaliated with Chaos Spear attacks, while Sonic leapt over the incoming projectiles and advanced forward.

"Psychic Control!" Waves of green energy made for Sonic and Shadow. Shadow rolled to the side in time, but Sonic was struck. In an instant, confusion flooded his instincts and he fell to his knees.

"Ha. Gotcha!" whispered Silver, feeling a bit more confident. He directed more of his psychokinesis at the perplexed blue hedgehog, and Sonic began to approach Shadow. He curled into a ball and began battering the ebony hedgehog with Homing Attacks, who frantically launched bolts of Chaos energy in an attempt to strike back.

Sonic punched Shadow; Shadow retaliated with a firm kick, almost winding him. He staggered backwards for a few steps, trying to control himself, but a blast of Chaos Energy knocked him down. He shook free of the invisible grip of psychokinesis.

"Humph," grunted Shadow, "That'll do."

"Ugh…what happened?"

"Silver got you with his ESP," he stated nonchalantly, and began to attack the floating hedgehog, who was watching the scene in silent satisfaction.

"Oh. Hey, not bad, Silver!"

"Thanks!" Silver shouted back whilst zipping through the air and avoiding showers of Chaos energy.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

Silver smirked. _This was going to be fun._

"Silver! Where are you going?!" called Sonic.

He flew out of the park, above the streets, causing numerous heads to turn with his movement, but for the time being, he didn't care. He made one turn, and landed in front of a fountain. He closed his eyes, imagining the water obeying his mental commands. In no time, the water lurched out of its stone container, forming a magnificent tube in the air, making its way towards the park.

"Did he really just run away?" laughed Sonic.

"Humph. What a coward -"

Before Shadow could finish, the aerial torrent of water dived downwards, right onto the two adjacent hedgehogs. The crowd gasped and began muttering amongst themselves. Sonic and Shadow struggled for breath as the relentless stream of water choked their mouths. When the water had ceased, they were utterly soaked and sprawled across the marshy grass in the far end of the park.

The white hedgehog emerged from the corner, flying back into the park, a cheeky grin on his face. In his most Eggman-like voice, he boomed, "I thought you guys would have liked to cool down from the exhilarating heat of the battle!" He chuckled softly at his humorous remark, and grasped his coughing brothers with psychokinesis.

Sonic and Shadow floated helplessly in the air; they were overwhelmed with confusion and rage, immobilised under Silver's psychic powers. He flung them around amidst the unfathomable air in a way such that they looked as if they were dancing in a duet, leaving a brief trail of bright-green wherever they moved; he plunged them down to the ground, brought them close up to see their contorted expressions of rage and hatred, and tossed them far away.

"Silver! What are you doing?!" shrill voices sounded from the crowd; it was Tails and Knuckles, praying for Silver to stop.

But he was lost, obsessed with his period of control over his brothers, thinking of retribution for their neglect and ignorance.

"Oh no, Sonic, and Shadow! Silver! Please!" Amy Rose squealed in fear.

He felt desirous and unstoppable, his arms gesturing up, down, left, right, moving his brothers wherever he pleased.

Until he heard a specific voice. "Silver! Stop!" Blaze the Cat was calling, "Let go of Sonic and Shadow!"

Abruptly, the ivory hedgehog snapped out of his trance-like state. Carefully, he moved balls of blue and black onto the ground. A chilling sensation froze his heart as he caught the expressions of his brothers, who climbed back up, standing no more than a few metres away. The blood in his veins was frozen into solid ice by the suspicious murmurs arising from the audience.

Shadow's eyes glowed a murderous red, while Sonic stood, rigid as a stone, teeth clenched in fury.

"Silver the Hedgehog," purred Shadow, "You will be very, _very_ sorry for what you've just committed."

Regret and fear possessed his trembling body. The words seemed to pierce through his skin like daggers. _That's right,_ he thought, _Sonic and Shadow hated getting wet…especially Sonic. And both hated being humiliated in front of a crowd…I'm as good as dead._ But it was no use thinking about it anymore. Silver snatched a glance at the azure hedgehog. His green irises were fuelled with distress.

"Grrr…Silver!" he snarled, "What was that for?!"

"I'm s-sorry…"

"Yes, you will be. Let's teach this insolent _child_ a lesson," growled Shadow.

And together they began to run around Silver, in a circle. Sparks ignited in the air around the shocked hedgehog; Silver just stood on the spot, so petrified with guilt and shame that he didn't call for his psychic powers and defend himself from the Atomic Strike.

* * *

Silver sat on his bed. He looked down onto his hands, tightly held together on his lap. He felt depleted of his strength, having been hit directly by Sonic and Shadow's powerful collaborative attack.

 _I should have known better not to cheat my brothers, nor challenge and ruin their honour. I should have accepted my fate of being their lowly follower and sibling, accept the fact that I am not nearly as powerful as they are. I should be complacent with my status and who I am._

An abrupt creak of the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Sonic and Shadow had entered the room. Without a word, they plopped themselves down onto his bed. He sat awfully erect, and looked forebodingly to the left - at Sonic - and to the right - at Shadow.

"Silver," began the blue hedgehog, "Why didn't you defend yourself from our Atomic Strike?"

"I-I'm sorry…" he mumbled.

"No, we're not asking for an apology, Silver. We want to know why you just stood there helplessly, when you could've easily escaped the attack with some of your psychokinetic expertise!"

"I…I was scared."

"Scared? Scared of what?" chortled Sonic.

"You guys were _utterly_ furious…" Silver bleated, frightened.

"Oh, perhaps we were…but you shouldn't ever be intimidated in the face of danger, Silver." Sonic replied casually.

 _Easier said than done,_ thought Silver, _especially if your very own brothers - whom you look up to and care so much about - are gleaming mad at you._ "I cheated you guys. I'm terribly sorry."

"Meh. Doesn't matter," shrugged Sonic.

"So…you're not mad at me? Both of you?" His eyes seemed to brighten up.

"Of course not!" Sonic responded cheerfully, "Just don't _ever_ drench me with water again, please."

Silver slouched in relief. He took a glance at Shadow, who hasn't spoken since his entry into the room. His silence was unnerving.

"It's over anyways, and we have something else to ask you, too," remarked Shadow.

Silver's eyes widened slightly, "Huh?"

"How did you manage to _oversleep_ , for the first time in your life this morning, Silver?" questioned Sonic, a faint grin of satisfaction as he seemingly backed his brother into a dead end.

"I…just did. Sometimes, it happens, you know…" he trailed off in artificial timidness.

Sonic furrowed his brows, and peered over Silver's shoulder to Shadow, who was suspiciously scrutinising the nervous countenance of the white hedgehog. Finally, he spoke up, " _Sometimes, it happens._ Very interesting. Silver the Hedgehog, you did _not_ oversleep this morning."

"Wh-what…are you talking about? I _did_! I really did! I swear, by the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Well," chuckled Shadow, "I bet the Chaos Emeralds aren't pleased with your oath. Tell us, Silver, what happened this morning?"

"N-no…! Nothing!" Silver giggled childishly, avoiding his brothers' gazes, while simultaneously feeling himself being forced, squeezed against a concrete wall. "Genuinely, I really overslept! I'm really sorry! It was an accident! It'll never happen again! I swear!"

"I hasn't ever happened," Shadow stated frankly, "And we're honestly _not_ asking for an apology, Silver. We're only asking you to answer our question."

The ivory hedgehog realised that all paths to evasion have been blocked, all strings of escape cut.

 _I really,_ really _am a terrible liar._

But his brothers were expecting a response. He gulped fearfully.

 _There's no way out of this now…_

"I…was daydreaming, think about stuff," said Silver, averting his eyes.

"Daydreaming? About what?" the black hedgehog continued to advance his probing.

"Nothing in particular."

"Tell us, Silver."

Silver felt his brain tremble, holding an ever-growing pile of lies and deceitful comments.

"I…have a headache…" groaned Silver. He turned away from his brothers and fell loosely onto his bed. It was partly true - his head had started to protest after a long time of being questioned.

But he also wanted to get away.

Unfortunately, Shadow saw through his little machinations, his red eyes scanning every syllable of the hoary hedgehog's words.

"No, you don't, Silver," he said bluntly, "Get up. Don't even try and avoid the question."

The latter part of his remark was especially impactful. Silver felt powerlessness overwhelm him as the last drops of hope leaked away from his body. There was a certain deadly cruelty about Shadow's tone. His golden orbs moved left and right in small motions as tears pricked at his eyes.

"I'm getting impatient, Silver," continued Shadow, growling, "Answer my question or I may have to do _something_."

Further words broke the barrier containing the warm liquid in his eyes. He whimpered, salty tears slowly trickled down Silver's cheeks.

Seeing his brother in dismay, Sonic glared at Shadow, baring his teeth, and said, "Silver, are you okay?" He laid back and snugged an arm under his brother and shuffled closer, comforting him.

Shadow's menacing demeanour ceased. He looked melancholically at Silver, thinking, _Maybe I've gone too far. Maybe I should ease off with the questions a bit._

"Silver," he said, "Why are you avoiding our questions?" He still sat, unlike the others, in a formal manner.

The white hedgehog continued to cry, absorbed in his misery.

"It's not a difficult question. We're not expecting anything. Is it because it's very personal to you?" Shadow probed.

"Y-yes…" stammered Silver, but, at Shadow's understanding, his inner thoughts started pouring out, "I had an awful n-nightmare y-yesterday."

"Do you want to tell us about it?" asked Shadow carefully.

"I'm scared you'll be angry at me."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" laughed Sonic, "C'mon, pal, tell us!" He gave his arm a good, warm squeeze.

Suddenly, Silver wished he had never had those negative thoughts about his brothers. _Blaze was right. They were my brothers, and will be forevermore. They love me, and I love them too._

And Silver began describing his dream.

* * *

He didn't finish _Soleanna_ as he thought he would yesterday. He tucked himself into his soft covers and slept. Sonic and Shadow hadn't said much after he finished telling them about the dream in full, about Mephiles the Dark, about his feelings - he did not omit any shady, personal details. They merely nodded in some form of approval, and bade him goodnight.

"We'll talk again, soon." Sonic had said.

He wondered what they thought as their footsteps slowly grew quieter, away from his room, and soon fell asleep.

 _"I see you have told your brothers about the dream last night, about our conversation," said Mephiles with intrigue, tapping his fingers together._

 _Silver felt shameful. He felt he betrayed Mephiles - as evil as he may be. "I'm sorry. I was in a terrible mood."_

 _"Don't be," he responded dismissively, "It's no big matter. And there was no agreement of privacy. You are free to tell whoever whatever you want."_

 _Silver nodded, feeling slightly better._

 _"Do you want to know what your brothers thought after you told them?" he suddenly asked, words once again fuelled with temptation._

 _An upwards sensation surged through his body. He jerked up, and instinctively pleaded in a hopeful tone, "Yes, please!"_

 _"But, as you are expecting good receptions, you may see disappointment." As usual, the slitted eyes slithered its way into the unprotected mind of the white hedgehog._

 _Silver didn't know what to say. Apprehension took possession of his beating heart, coercing it to beat faster._

 _"You're still clinging onto futile hopes that, because they didn't say much before leaving, you think they are fine with it - indifferent, at the worst."_

 _Silver felt his windpipe gradually shrink. His breathing quickened in dread._

 _"Yes, you are frightened, terrified. Good…ha ha ha."_

" _What?! Tell me, please!" Silver strained, getting desperate._

 _"You should be scared. Your brothers live under the spotlight, which is why they are amazing actors. Their faces illustrate indifference, but their hearts speak otherwise," said Mephiles, his voice floating between seriousness and sing-song, "They loathe the notion of you trying to gain their share of the spotlight. They now face insecurity because of an external threat - you - trying to steal their glory and honour. Remember how_ humiliated _they were, when you wielded full control of the situation with your_ flawless _control of psychokinesis? They ganged up on you. They_ bullied _you. It is_ injustice _."_

 _Silver closed his eyes in despair. He couldn't believe it. Hadn't Sonic and Shadow promised to not be angry at him, no matter what he told them?_

 _"Do not drown yourself in disbelief."_

 _"But…what can I do?"_

 _Mephiles began to fade away._

 _"Hello? Don't leave!" As much as Silver disliked his dark presence, he wanted his advice and consolation._

 _"The time will come, Silver the Hedgehog…and you will feel the true meaning and power of justice."_

 _"What justice?! I don't understand! Wait!"_

 _"When the time has come, you won't ever feel cheated again, nor will you ever have to cheat. Everyone will bow down to your authority."_

 _"_ My _authority? That's ridiculous - impossible - I will never have any authority! Please come back and explain! Mephiles!"_

 _"We shall meet again - soon."_

 _The shadowy entity vanished into the darkness._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

There we go. Proudly introducing Mephiles! Big-time villain, stalker of innocent kids (like Silver), and loves to lurk in books. Think twice before you pick up a book next time you visit a bookstore/library. :P

 **Shadow** : Silver, put down that book and go outside.

 **Sonic** : Yeah; reading is for nerds!

 **Silver** : Just one more page, please...?

 **Sonic & Shadow**: NO. PUT IT DOWN NOW.

 **Silver** : *whimpers* Okay - OH MY GOSH I CAN'T WASH OFF THIS BLOB OF INK ON MY HAND. "OUT, DAMNED SPOT! OUT, I SAY!" ( _Macbeth_ reference, lol.)

 **Shadow** : You need to go OUT, I SAY.

 **Sonic** : Nerd...

Hope you enjoyed. :D


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

The hedgehog trio fight with Eggman again, but something goes terribly wrong, for Silver...

Read on to find out! Don't want you guys to be left hanging!

Enjoy.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

"We make a great team, Shadow!"

Once again, the blue and black hedgehogs stood triumphantly above a fuming mass of collapsed metal.

"How?! I _swear_ my machine was perfectly _evil_ this time!" wailed Eggman.

"It was, and that's why it was a perfect _failure_!" retorted Shadow.

Eggman scrambled away. During his escape, he brushed past Silver, who was standing alone, distant from the climactic and vibrant scene of triumph. Their eyes met for a passing second, and Silver wondered if, underneath the darkly-tinted goggles, Eggman had understood his feelings. He made no attempt to stop the scientist from running away.

Sonic and Shadow make a great team. Silver wasn't an ingredient for a great team. In fact, he probably would have spoiled the flavour of their victories. Doubtful thoughts filled his mind: _Am I any worth being here? Does my existence even matter?_ Furthermore, it reminded him of last night's dream. He gazed at his undefeated brothers, and morosely returned home alone.

The next day, Silver resolved to go talk to Sonic and Shadow. He paced around the house, looking for familiar figures of blue and black.

"Sonic? Shadow? Where are you?"

No reply.

 _They must've gone out,_ he thought.

 _Without me. Again._

Silver clenched his fists. For a moment, he no longer wanted to find them.

He took a deep breath and stormed out the door.

His brothers were doing a bit of light exercise in the park, jogging, jumping, stretching. He approached with caution.

"Hey, um, Sonic? Shadow?" Silver said timidly.

They kept running.

"Um…guys? Hello?" He raised his voice slightly, trying to catch the moving hedgehogs with his words. Still with no success.

Finally, overwhelmed by frustration, he yelled, "GUYS! STOP IGNORING ME AND LISTEN!"

Sonic and Shadow stopped in their tracks, surprised to see an ill-tempered Silver standing not far from them.

"Silver, what's wrong?" Sonic walked towards his sullen brother.

After grabbing their attention, Silver felt immediate regret for blurting out in anger. He blinked back tears, saying, "N-nothing…I just wanted to talk to you guys about…about something."

"Oh, sure! I thought we'd talk again soon! What is it?"

"Can we go to the benches?"

"Sure."

And they walked to the benches. Silver sat in the middle with Sonic and his left and Shadow on his right. Silver fumbled with his fingers, trying to find the words in his mouth.

"What does it mean…to be a hero?"

The question seemed to take his brothers by surprise.

"How do you mean?" Shadow asked back.

"Yeah, and in what sense?" added Sonic.

"Like…um, the thing is, you guys are always saving the day and I feel…worthless. I'm starting to doubt whether I'm still a hero now - if I ever was."

"Well, there are many kinds of heroes. Those who work under the _spotlight_ , and those who work away from it, behind the scenes," said Sonic.

"Yeah, but you guys are always _in_ the spotlight, whereas I'm not, and I feel…excluded."

This time, Shadow spoke up, "We are all working together from various different aspects to build a better overall picture for the city, not just thinking about ourselves on a small scale. You shouldn't feel like that, Silver."

 _Yeah, Shadow's right. I shouldn't be thinking about myself all the time, and instead the greater good for the whole city._ He sighed.

"C'mon, don't feel so down, bro," said Sonic energetically, "We're all heroes - all three of us - and together we're always making the city a better place!"

 _Then why do you and Shadow make a great team?_ Silver mused sardonically.

"What now?" he asked, noticing the tinge of trouble in his brother's expression.

"Yesterday, after _you guys_ defeated Eggman again, you agreed that both you and Shadow made a great team."

"Yeah…?"

Silver frowned. Sonic clearly wasn't getting his point. He continued, "What about me? Do I _not_ make a decent teammate?" He started losing control over his voice again, which grew louder by each syllable. "What do you guys think is my problem, my weakness? What is wrong with me?! Why am I always excluded from your collaborations?!"

"Stop it, Silver," pronounced Shadow. Instantly, the ranting hedgehog fell silent. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. What makes you think that we're excluding you from our activities?"

"It's just…it's just that every time we do something big, you guys always seem to be in the spotlight, and I'm not."

"As I said earlier, there are all kinds of heroes! You're just as important as us, Silver!" Sonic remarked. Silver said nothing in response.

"Anything else?" asked Shadow.

The white hedgehog pressed his lips. _The dream last night. Either Sonic and Shadow are such amazing actors that they're easily concealing their contempt for me, or they don't seem to hate me at all._ He took a deep breath.

"What did you think after I told you about my dream yesterday evening?"

"Nothing much, really, apart from it not being true at all," said Shadow, his faint smile comforting the nervous hoary hedgehog.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" added Sonic, also smiling.

"I had another nightmare last night, after you left." Before Silver knew it, desperate thoughts and emotions leaked out of his mouth again. Sonic and Shadow absorbed it all.

"That's _utterly_ ridiculous!" screamed Sonic, "You really must _not_ let Mephiles manipulate you through your dreams, Silver!"

"Yeah, I won't. I was just…terribly worried about what you thought about me telling you my dreams."

"How absurd," remarked Shadow, a frown of scorn on his face, "We're brothers. Nothing can break us apart, and nothing ever will! Don't you _dare_ have your thoughts waver in the face of Mephiles's manipulations."

Both Sonic and Shadow inched closer towards to Silver, their bodies all pressing onto each other, sharing the warm bonds of true brotherhood.

Suddenly, an deafening sound was heard. Wisps of smoke soon rose into the air.

"Something's happening! Let's go!" exclaimed Shadow, running off towards the explosion. Sonic quickly followed in his wake.

 _You're just as important as us, Silver!_

He got up, and propelled himself into the air.

Silver was ready to prove that he really was as important as his brothers.

* * *

"You really can't wait another day or so for the taste of defeat, huh, _Egghead_!" jeered Sonic.

"No! This time, _I_ will win! My machine is _beyond_ perfection, beyond _evil_!" the scientist retorted.

"That is the worst logical fallacy I have ever heard in my life; nothing is beyond perfection, and your _junk bot_ is far from it," muttered Shadow.

"Grrr…I'll show you what my ultimate robot can do!"

"It's time for some fun!" yelled Sonic, as he leaped into the air. The blue hedgehog curled into a ball, commencing the fight with a signature Homing Attack. He went straight for the joints of the giant, humanoid automaton. After a few hits, he leapt back just as the metallic limb swept a half revolution.

"My turn! Psychic Knife!" screamed Silver, aiming for the joints like his brother had done.

"Here I come, too! Chaos Spear!" shouted Shadow, jumping into the action. The three hedgehogs fought side by side as the Doctor retaliated in perfect rhythm.

"Wow. This wasn't as easy as I thought it would be," commented Sonic; he then yelled, "Eggman! You're _actually_ improving! What a surprise!"

"Yes, I am! And that's not it!" he laughed in response. Sonic merely giggled. _This'll_ actually _be fun._

"Witness by powerful _evil_ lasers of doom!" shrieked Eggman. The robotic hands retracted into the arms, turning it into a hollow cannon. Giant, glaring lasers shot out, chasing the hedgehogs wherever they ran.

"Can you three run _together_?! You're making my life so difficult!" whined Eggman, pouting childishly.

"Life _is_ difficult, Eggman. Learn to deal with it," retorted Shadow, "Chaos Lance!"

"Fine, then! I will shoot you down, one by one - _what_?!"

Silver, glowing a faint hue of blue, floated in front of the Doctor in his transparent cockpit. "Hey, Eggman! I'm right _here_! Right in front of you! Come shoot me down!"

"Grrr…you insolent nuisance! Move out of the way! I can't see -" Silver still hovered there, smiling cheekily at the fuming scientist. "Fine, _I'll_ move you physically -"

The automation trembled. For a brief moment, it toppled to one side.

Silver looked downwards, and grinned at his brothers battering the left leg of the machine with repeated Homing Attacks. The machine kept kicking frantically, completely missing his targets, who continued to damage the flailing limb.

Suddenly, Silver's noticed that the mechanical arm was raised, calmly observing the unaware hedgehogs who seemed to be lost in attacking the leg. He darted towards them, and pushed them out of the way.

He felt a significant amount of air leave his lungs as the arm rammed into his chest. He rolled onto the floor, breathing heavily, thinking of his brothers.

Sonic and Shadow were nowhere to be seen.

Silver was instantly alert, forgetting his fresh pains. He looked around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of blue or black. _Had they been hit as well? Had I knocked them somewhere dangerous?_ But after a few precious moments, the familiar silhouettes of his brothers appeared before him. They looked irritated.

"Silver! What did you do that for?!" said Sonic.

"Eggman almost swept you away with that robotic arm of his, while you were immersed in attacking the leg!" explained Silver hastily, feeling slightly wronged.

"Oh…sure!"

And they dashed off, towards the machine.

Silver had expected something bigger, something more appreciative. But in a fight, time was invaluable - every second counted. _Maybe they'll thank me later?_ he thought idly, then shot back into the air.

"Eggman," said Silver, "You're really improving this time! I gotta commend you for that!"

"Well, my sincerest thanks, Silver the Hedgehog," replied the scientist, as his moustache twitched upwards in a satisfied smirk. Silver frowned, feeling slightly uncertain. Eggman jabbed a large, red button to his side.

"Now it's time you witness the full power of my ultimate robot!" he cackled madly. The machine began to change, the shifting of gears grasping the hedgehogs' attention. The gathered crowd watched in terror and awe as the behemoth ruthlessly underwent a peculiar transformation: metallic, skeletal wings sprouted from its back; small cannons emerged on its shoulders; its arms elongated, retractable concrete fists comfortably tucked into the large wrist socket, ready to be launched like missiles; and its legs folded upwards, into the main body, constructing an engine with a large circular opening.

"You thought _you_ were the only one who could fly, right, Silver the Hedgehog?" sneered the Doctor, "I can _too_!"

Relentless flames spewed out of the engine; the mechanical horror flew into the air with ease. Eggman's words clawed at the heart of the white hedgehog. Silver scolded himself for speaking so rashly and not being able to keep his mouth shut.

"What in the name of the Chaos Emeralds, is this _thing_?!" said Shadow.

"Woah, nice innovations, _Egghead_!" remarked Sonic.

"Now it's _my_ turn to have some fun! Prepare to feel my technological wrath!" boomed Eggman.

Silver squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists and looking down in empty shame. He kept cursing himself. _Silver, you're so stupid!_ he thought, _You should've kept your mouth shut! It's all your fault!_

Eggman excitedly punched a few buttons. The miniature cannons unleashed lasers of surprising power; they repeatedly battered the nearby buildings, causing cracks to bloom and flourish on the stone surfaces.

"Silver, do something!" shouted Sonic, running towards the hovering machine, "Stop floating there doing nothing!"

"Oh - oh, yeah," he drawled, still deep in thought.

" _SILVER_! Snap out of it, whatever you're thinking!" growled Shadow.

"Right!" he jerked up, and flew towards the unrestrained automaton.

"Chaos Spear!" screamed Shadow. Bolts of pure energy darted towards the robot.

"Psychic Knife!" blurted Silver. The blade of psychic energy swept effortlessly through the air, and simply cancelled out with the incoming arrows of Chaos Energy within an inch of its desired target. A miniature explosion sent the hedgehogs recoiling slightly backwards.

Silver recoiled, half in shock, half in fear of his brother, who gave him a stern, unforgiving glare.

"Oh, ho ho ho! How unfortunate!" laughed Eggman.

"Shadow," Silver went over to the ebony hedgehog, "I'm sorry -"

" _Shut up_. Chaos Blast!"

The white hedgehog hastily retreated upon the repelling words.

"Uh…uh…Psychic Knife!"

And the attacks once again collided, this time causing a greater explosion, but not nearly enough to harm the robot and the scientist, now clutching his stomach and guffawed so hard he almost tumbled off his chair.

"Guys! What just happened?!" shouted Sonic, confused at the attacks having no effect.

" _Nothing_ -" said Shadow, but was cut off as a metallic fist sprang out of the arm socket and smashed into his chest.

"Shadow?! Are you alright -" Sonic ran towards his fallen brother without delay, but halted and instinctively leaped back as lasers swept and scarred the spot where he was a moment ago.

"I'm fine!"

A huge shower of bricks dived at Shadow. He rolled out of the way, growling.

Eggman was becoming more and more rampant. The giant robotic arm one by one infested itself into nearby buildings, dragging out heavy debris and shattered glass with a deafening crashing sound. Thankfully its inhabitants had been evacuated - some ran away as far as they could from the scene, while others hid curiously amidst the crowd, watching the fight continue.

"You and your poorly-timed attacks…" spat Shadow, glaring at a terrified Silver.

"Eggman, you've left us no choice!" announced Sonic, who looked at Shadow. He returned a nod.

He and Shadow whipped out a Chaos Emerald each. It began to glow, a brilliant, empowering light echoing their valiant hearts. Their fur began to change colour, evolving into a magnificent coat of gold. Their eyes gleamed with a determined, undefeated red.

Ashamed, Silver modestly reached for his Chaos Emerald.

But he left it at home.

Silver didn't know what to do. He floated in the middle of the road, in between the robot and his Super brothers.

"Silver, get out of the way!" screeched Shadow, "Stop being such a vegetable and move!"

Silver looked around in fright. He knew he had failed, yet he couldn't just simply step out of the way and scamper off like a coward -

" _MOVE!_ "

He turned his head so abruptly his neck cracked. Shadow charged ruthlessly at the helpless hedgehog like a rocket. His eyes widened in trauma. _No…this can't be happening. I must be imagining things…!_

Silver felt every single particle of air escape out of his lungs in the very moment of impact. His flaccid body twisted in the air, soaring over the generic crowd, and collided into something furry.

"Silver! What in the world are you doing?!" raged Sonic, his voice all blurred in Silver's spinning mind.

"I…I -"

" _GET OUT OF THE WAY!_ "

Silver smashed into a nearby building. He almost felt his bones crack and shatter against the solid, unyielding material. He dropped lifelessly to the ground. His mouth felt thick. He moved his tongue and tasted the viscous liquid of blood.

* * *

" _Silver_."

Silver opened his eyes, still sprawled on the floor. He faced Sonic and Shadow. The two radiant hedgehogs towered over their brother, who could barely tremble because of the pain flooding his entire body, godly figures delivering punishment to the lone sinner. Their gleaming red eyes were fixed on him, reprimanding, scorching, petrifying like a basilisk's.

"The fight is over," said Shadow indifferently.

The white hedgehog didn't know what to say.

"If only your attacks weren't _so_ poorly timed, Silver, the city wouldn't have to face such consequences," remarked Sonic, as he went over and scooped his loose brother up, "and neither would you, pal."

* * *

Silver woke up. He was in bed, and Blaze was sitting on the edge of it, eagerly looking at him. He slightly recoiled in surprise at her presence as she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the curious golden orbs beneath the opening eyelids.

"Silver, you're awake."

He groaned. His entire body was throbbing in dull torment.

"How are you feeling?"

"Painful…" he croaked weakly. Every breath he took seemed to put pressure on his bruised chest.

"Don't exert yourself. I'll be right back."

While she was gone, Silver reflected on what had happened earlier, tightly clenching his covers. The door gave out a slight creak as Blaze reentered the room with a glass of warm water in her hand. Delicately, she embraced Silver, and slowly helped him to sit up.

"Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Silver nodded in appreciation. _I really, really wished I had Blaze as a sibling instead of -_

He couldn't bring himself to think that thought.

Silver had finished the glass of water. Blaze got up to get more, but Silver sluggishly tugged at her arm.

"Where's Sonic and Shadow?"

"I think they're…out," the purple feline replied quietly, sitting back down. Her eyes suddenly shone with concern for her poor friend who had started to become teary. The stars in the night sky beyond the window also winked in sympathy for the dismal hedgehog.

"What's the matter?"

"They're _out_. After they've freshly injured their own brother," the ivory hedgehog seethed spitefully, "And yet, they're _out_ …"

"They'll be back! They're probably sorting out the…damages to the infrastructure this afternoon! Don't dwell on it for too long, get some more rest -"

"So _buildings_ are more important than a brother?! How _outrageous_!" cried Silver, a paroxysm of injustice, finally not able to contain his boiling emotions. After the explosive moment, the ivory hedgehog went back to weeping quietly. All the past moments of neglect and ignorance seemed to have returned to haunt him.

"Yes, it is, Silver. I totally understand," Blaze tried to hush the emotional Silver down.

"I can't believe _they_ are my brothers."

"In times like this you need to truly embrace your inner compassion and stay strong, no matter what happens."

"Compassion," he whispered viciously, "Compassion and strength. Things I've always told myself to believe in. Things I've always been seeking - without success."

"Then persist, like you've always done," she crooned with encouragement, "and never give up. I'm going to go; I hope you feel much better tomorrow, Silver."

"Thank you, Blaze."

"Oh, by the way," she stopped, pointing at the thick novel on the bedside table, "How far into _that book_ have you gotten?"

"I was almost finished with it - only the epilogue left to go. I absolutely loved it, the story and everything. Thank you for buying it for me," replied Silver, smiling.

"You're welcome," the purple feline smiled back, "Don't you want to finish the last chapter tonight?"

"Sure…" he reached over to grab the book, "Huh?"

"What's the matter?"

"The book - it's not opening!"

"What? How come?!" Blaze reached out a hand to help.

"And now it's not letting go of my grip!" The scared hedgehog said frantically.

"Let me see -" Upon touching the book, an invisible force seemed to pull onto her hands as well, "Ah! It's not letting go of me either!"

Suddenly, an abrupt shock surged through Blaze's head. She shut her eyes; in the darkness, she could see everything all too clearly.

A flash; and she saw Silver, tucked into bed, sleeping soundly. On his bedside table was the very copy of _Soleanna_ that she was holding at present. A black liquid emerged from the pages of the book, and slowly but surely seeped into the unaware hedgehog.

Another flash; Silver was kneeling on the grassy terrain in the park. The sky was darkening, and so was his skin. He was breathing heavily, the raspy sound of his breaths piercing through the silent air. Then, he sobbed, and cried, and choked, clutching his heart. A torrent of black liquid gushed out from his chest, invading every single cell of his skin, his body, his soul.

A third flash; a dark entity stood motionlessly in the distance, his crystalline form shining in the uncanny absence of light; his slit pupils were fixated on the far darkness, snake-like eyes slithering around, as if scavenging for something. It was then that he found the white hedgehog he was looking for. He boomed with deep, evil laughter. He approached him as Silver backed away -

The book fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Silver buried his head in his hands, groaning.

For a moment, Blaze was too shocked to say anything. Then, she said with urgency, "Silver! Did you see anything? Any scenes, images, or the like?"

"Blaze…my head hurts…"

The feline pressed her lips. "I'll be right back."

The hoary hedgehog heard her leave the room. He stared into the darkness. His head was spinning relentlessly; he felt depleted, drained, of his energy. He didn't notice that the book was open, and words - though faint - littered each page once again.

Blaze returned with a glass of water. "Drink this, Silver."

"I don't want to…I feel exhausted, Blaze, I want to sleep."

"No, you must. It'll make you feel much better," she insisted, and the tired hedgehog lifted a frail arm to take the glass of water. The wetness of the glass caused it to slip out of his fingers and the cup fell onto the book. Strangely, the on the pages was immediately mixed with the puddle of water, in spite of its supposed dryness.

"Oh, dear…" groaned Silver. Blaze sighed in response and once again walked out of the room. She returned soon with some tissues. While wiping the water dry, she frowned as the ink smudged in vast quantities. She turned to her friend.

"Silver, in all honesty, did you see a vision when we were grasping the book?"

"I don't think so…my head began to hurt so badly that I couldn't remember if I saw anything. Everything was complete darkness."

The purple feline pressed her lips as she dabbed the last bits of wetness dry. "I know this caused you to have a great headache, but…can we try it again?"

The hoary hedgehog recoiled and yelped at the thought of his massive mental pain returning.

"It's okay if you don't want to. It really is," added Blaze hurriedly, "It's just that…I saw some strange images, and individually I suppose I understood what they were, but I don't get how they all related to each other."

The hoary hedgehog said nothing. He looked as if he was about to perish with lethargy.

"I was hoping you might know what they were - and if anything is troubling you…"

"Okay, sure," Silver agreed reluctantly, as he stretched out his arms to pick up the soggy book, "Oh, no, what have I done to your present, Blaze?"

"Don't worry about that. I can easily replace a copy for you!" The feline and hedgehog shut the book and held it in their hands, expecting another abrupt sensation to surge through their nerves, to see the same images again.

But nothing happened.

"I don't understand," said Blaze, bewildered. She flicked open the book, "And now it _can_ be opened."

"I'm so tired…" wailed a yawning Silver.

"I completely forgot - oh, I'm so sorry, Silver!" The purple feline hastily turned to her friend, who was on the verge of falling into a deep pit of sleep. "Go to sleep now. I promise we'll figure this out sooner or later!"

"Yeah…I hope so."

"I'm going to go now, and dispose of these tissues -" Blaze glanced at the tissues soaked with dark, inky water, and winced in disgust. She picked them up delicately, careful not to hold it too close to her body, as if they contained a corrupt, malignant force. "Good night, Silver; sweet dreams."

"Good night, Blaze."

The feline left the room, and dropped the rubbish she was holding cautiously with her fingertips into the nearest bin she could see.

It was only after Blaze had left had Silver realised how quickly his heart was beating, and how hot he felt, especially his face. He soon calmed in Blaze's absence.

He lethargically dragged his duvet over him, and in less than a minute Silver was asleep.

The inky substance in the bin outside Silver's room churned within the thin fibres of the paper, and altogether leaped out of the cylindrical container. In no time, it had filtered into the room of the white hedgehog through the seam so narrow it was scarcely visible. It eagerly seeped into the chest of its host once again, and the tissues in the bin - though still wet - were as clean and untainted as ever.

* * *

Blaze left the house, shutting the front door behind her.

 _The ink_ , she thought, _What was it doing? And Mephiles - for sure - too, what was_ he _up to, confronting Silver and everything?_

She frowned, _What was the second image all about? And Silver's headache, not to mention how many times_ he _appeared in those scenes - he must have been affected by all this. But how…?_

 _I_ will _figure everything out. For Silver, I_ swear _I will._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

There we go! Does Sonic and Shadow's actions in this Chapter confirm what Mephiles had said at the end of Chapter Two?

And, as you can see, Blaze's role is growing - and it doesn't stop there! I mean, not, y'know, with regards to Silvaze or anything, totally. :X

 **Sonic** : Ooh, Silver, I see you've been talking to Blaze a lot recently.

 **Silver** : *turns head away rigidly* Uh, n-no, I haven't.

...To be continued next Chapter! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

This Chapter was initially meant to be a part of the previous one, but it got a bit lengthy, so I split it up. Hope putting it on its own does it some justice, just like this story does to Silver - OH, WAIT. :P

Hopefully you can bear the many jokes that are present in this Chapter.

Enjoy, as always.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

Silver dreamed again. Initially, there was nobody but darkness. Suddenly, Mephiles the Dark seemed to emerge from the invisible shadows.

 _"I'm back," he said._

 _"I don't get it," replied Silver, "Weren't you always here?"_

 _The entity chuckled, a sudden movement of his mouthless muzzle, "Never mind about that - your brothers had acted absolutely uncouthly earlier today."_

 _"No, it was my fault…I completely messed up."_

 _"Stop trying to deceive yourself. They unfairly attacked you, and I don't suppose you enjoyed that?"_

 _Silver found himself talking before he was even aware; Mephiles had simply extracted the reluctant words from his mind. "No, I hated it. I hated the way they hurt me…" and he faltered._

 _"Good…there's nothing wrong with admitting one's most genuine emotions, regardless of how terrible they may be."_

 _"No - Mephiles, don't try and manipulate me! My brothers aren't bad guys! It was right for them to teach me a lesson - I was a complete mess! They're…heroes, in a sense!"_

 _"Humph," growled the confronter, "Heroes are humble under the spotlight. Look at your brothers; is their behaviour characteristic of someone modest?"_

 _Silver felt a flicker of realisation inside him._

 _"Look at Sonic: he lives under the brightness of the spotlight and the attention of others. And Shadow: always so arrogant and full of himself."_

 _Silver sighed._

 _"I suppose you do recall the moment of shock when they towered over you, their gaze as hard as stone, cold as ice?"_

 _Silver swallowed despairingly. He could remember the moment too well._

 _"Yes. That's who they are, your brothers. They_ just _had to find someone to blame, and sadly, you were the easiest target. Sonic and Shadow do not handle humiliation well. They were tremendously close to it this afternoon, when Eggman started to gain the upper hand. The crowd was completely silent - terrified - and this was a crucial signal to them. Sometimes it even affects their concern for others like you. They then become insensitive, and because both of their goals are identical and unified, they are always working together, an act of deliberate exclusion to you."_

 _"But…what can I do?"_

 _"It's about time you embrace your true, inner darkness."_

 _"Embrace my inner darkness?" Silver frowned in curiosity, "What does that mean?"_

 _"Yes…what does that mean?" the shadowy entity echoed._

 _"I don't understand! Mephiles! Tell me!" cried the ivory hedgehog._

 _"It's time your valour is truly rewarded with something truly valuable, with no more pain," he declared, disappearing into the darkness._

 _"What valour? What pain? Wait, don't leave, Mephiles! Please, I don't understand!"_

Silver woke up with a jerk, slightly trembling and sweaty.

"What valour, what pain…?" he muttered, his voice quivering.

Suddenly, his brothers were calling for him.

* * *

"Eggman, how nice of you to visit us _again_!" jeered Sonic, "I haven't had breakfast - I'd very much like some _scrambled eggs_!" And he laughed heartily at his own joke. His laugh subsided as he glanced at Shadow.

He glared murderously at Sonic. _None of us had breakfast, Faker. If you make a joke like this again, I'll make sure your life becomes nothing but a joke._

Silver wanted to giggle (like he always did to support his bad jokes), but couldn't find the energy to do so. He simply stood there, quietly observing Eggman and his first move.

The scientist reached out his arm to pull a lever. Silver narrowed his eyes. _The left arm, where the retractable hand was…_ He swiftly manoeuvred around the metallic behemoth, sticking close to the ground, waiting for his chance to strike. He hid behind the legs so that the Doctor could not see him.

"Ready or not, here we come!" announced Sonic, as he and Shadow curled into a sphere and Spin Dashed towards the machine. The left arm was aimed right at them, preparing to launch its concealed fist. _And…_

 _Now._

Silver, and the fist, shot out simultaneously, the former a brilliant comet of aqua, confronting the latter, a large, steel projectile. He rammed the giant piece of metal to the side, clearing the path for his brothers to bombard Eggman's machine with their Spin Attacks. The automaton trembled as streaks of blue and black collided with one of the legs.

"Grrr…where did you come from, you little nuisance!" raged Eggman, towards the floating white hedgehog.

"Your machine is a great place to play hide-and-seek in, _Egghead_!" chuckled Silver, finding his energy, and he dived to the side as lasers shot out from the right arm. "You can't hit me!" he taunted.

Lasers flew everywhere; he dodged all of them, continuing to distract the enraged scientist, "If I don't strike you down, hedgehog, my name is not Eggman - _WHAT_?!" While his brothers made themselves busy by repeatedly attacking the lower sections of the machine.

"Chaos Blast!" shouted Shadow, as a large scrap fell off the leg. They leaped out of the way just as it crashed onto the ground with a cacophonous _clang_. Silver took notice of the increasing number of scraps on the floor. _It's playtime_ , he thought, smiling mischievously. He closed his eyes, and imagined, with clarity and precision, all the pieces of metal obeying his mental commands, floating upwards, in his complete control.

"Hey, Eggman!" he sneered, "Want to see how it feels to be defeated by your own invention? Here you go!" Jagged bits of steel rained down onto the robot, causing severe dents everywhere.

"I'll show you the true meaning of _hyper mode_!" The scientist howled in fury as he hysterically smashed the buttons on his control panel.

"I don't think so, Egghead!"

The Doctor looked down to see a blue and black hedgehog, standing next to a robotic leg that looked as if it would collapse upon a single touch.

" _HOW_?! I swear I made my legs extra impact-proof!"

"Firstly," stated Shadow, "define _extra_. Anything _extra_ from your previous efforts mean absolutely nothing, as your machines never advanced beyond the stage of being pathetically weak and vulnerable."

"That's right!" cheered Sonic.

"And secondly," continued the black hedgehog, "Define _impact-proof_. The adjective itself is unambiguously vague -"

"I don't need _you_ insolent creatures to lecture me on my works of marvel!" shrieked Eggman, balling his fists and waving his arms in madness. He accidentally knocked a lever, which moved the weakened leg of his machine. Unable to brace the weight, the leg collapsed, bringing down the entire automaton.

"And most importantly," declared Shadow, "You _failed_. Again, as always."

"Have I, though?" the scientist retaliated, dramatically raising his right arm and pinching a large red button on the side of his internal cockpit.

"And as always," joined Sonic, "You have a plan B, which will prove to be a _failure_ as well!"

"Jumping to conclusions is seldom a good thing, Sonic the Hedgehog!" responded Eggman, laughing maniacally, "But this time, I'll correctly jump to the conclusion for you: I shall defeat you with my upgraded engines and in-flight ability _and_ agility!" The other leg fell onto the ground lifelessly, and the machine rumbled in enthusiasm, its engines starting up.

"You're _so_ obese, you can barely even _jump_ , let alone jump to a conclusion," grumbled Shadow.

"Cower, in fear, as I tower over you all in my _unbreakable, impregnable, invincible armour_!"

"I swear he said the exact same thing sometime ago…" mumbled Sonic, "Whatever."

"And he has an atrocious taste for _rhyme_ ," muttered Shadow.

"That's a _prime_ example for a _crime_!" Sonic burst out unnecessarily, satisfied with his humorous attempt.

"You did _not_ just do that, Faker," seethed Shadow, his voice rising.

"Any _time_ , Shadow! You know you love my _time_ ly _rhymes_!" the azure hedgehog laughed relentlessly as he charged towards the hovering machine, leaving his brother in a puddle of furious confusion as to who to really attack.

"Enough is enough! I'll deal with you later…" the ebony hedgehog growled, as he raised his hand at the robot, "Chaos Blast!"

Clinging onto the back of the flying machine, Silver giggled quietly. He figured out that, if this wasn't a battle, he would've threw himself onto the ground as tears of laughter leaked out of his eyes. He _did_ appreciate Sonic's humour - though he never dared admit it to Shadow - and now that the battle is advancing into its exhilarating stages, he finally found the power and confidence to grin.

He grabbed the isolated leg with his psychic powers, while blasts of Chaos Energy battered the metallic armour, and a blur of blue attacked all sides of the machine in a flash.

 _Eggman's gonna love this_ , he thought. The leg was just thin (or rather, thick) enough to fit into the gaping hole where the engine was concealed inside.

"You can't do anything to me now, hedgehogs!" laughed the scientist, as his fingers danced around the control panel, hitting an array of buttons along the way. The arms were ready to unleash its charged beams and a rocket fist, but the mechanisms unexpectedly jammed, so that the arms were only half-raised. Eggman frowned, perplexed. He pressed another button, and the arms continued to move up, but at such a haphazard angle that the metallic joints began to growl and choke in discomfort.

Meanwhile, the psychokinetic hedgehog, still hidden from view, was shoving the stake of metal further and further into the opening, destroying more than just the engine. Eggman's metal behemoth gave off a robotic wail of distress as it plummeted forwards, onto the ground. Sonic leaped to the side, tackling Shadow in the process out of the way, just in time to not be crushed by the tumbling machine. They jumped up back onto their feet, and watched observantly as a certain defeated scientist awkwardly limped out of his invention and hastily scampered away, like he always did.

Silver took a brief glance to the side. His brothers stood some distance away from the machine that was already starting to fume black clouds of smoke.

 _Should I wait for Sonic and Shadow to do this?_

 _Or should I do it_ myself _?_

The thought of it sent an odd chill down his spine, but he shook it off. Summoning all his psychokinetic powers, he plummeted towards the fallen titan of steel, a magnificent supernova. As he neared the ground, he steered himself slightly upwards as to travel parallel to the road, and rocketed straight through the interior of the robot, shredding every single circuit and component of danger. He emerged from the other side, once again high up in the sky, just as the mass of metal exploded, a brilliant fulmination of light and fire. Debris rained all over the area as Sonic and Shadow, as well as the gathered crowd, raised their arms to shield their faces and bodies from the miniature maelstrom of scrap.

For a brief moment, all was silent, apart from the quiet gales blowing from the distance.

And then the crowd roared with applause, exalting the uncomprehending white hedgehog as the day's hero.

For the first time since forever, he had dealt the final blow to Eggman. He felt slightly uncomfortable, unaccustomed to the attention he thought he deserved for once.

But even more importantly, he felt great. He felt amazing.

He landed with a feeling of fullness and complacency, and, without looking back at his brothers, disappeared round the corner and headed straight home in excitement and ecstasy, as the cheering slowly died down.

* * *

The white furry sat on his bed, thinking about what had happened earlier. He was, admittedly, pleased with himself, his heart overflowing with joy as he grinned idly. He wondered if Sonic and Shadow were proud of him. He sincerely hoped so.

It was then that the door flew open and two certain hedgehogs stormed into the room.

"Silver, good job today," said Sonic, "I _totally_ wasn't expecting that."

"Thanks…" he replied, and then faltered. Something wasn't right about Sonic's attitude. _And why did they_ storm _into the room?_

"Wasn't it nice to be in the spotlight for once, like you've always wanted to be?" added Shadow.

Silver looked to the left, then to the right, at his frowning brothers; both had their arms crossed in indignation. _Did I do something wrong again? Why are they acting so passive-aggressive towards me now?_

"The b-battle went quite well today, d-didn't you think?" Silver asked timidly.

"Sure, _of course_ it did! We never said it didn't, _right_ , Shads?"

"Humph, _of course_ it went well. How could it not have, with _you_ dealing the final blow and everything, Silver," the black hedgehog growled.

And then it occurred to him why they were talking to him this way. Silver wanted to cry; he wanted to disappear into an alternate dimension, where nobody could find him. He clutched his duvet more tightly, as if the alternate dimension he sought was under his blanket. He desperately wanted to be alone, away from his brothers, who weren't the least bit proud of him as he had initially hoped.

They were envious.

"What, are you scared now, Silver?" mocked Sonic, his tone rising, as he watched the diminishing hedgehog back away from him in terror, "Is this how an _exalted_ _hero_ should react - by cowardly shrinking away from his fears - from everything?!"

Silver, after finally finding his voice in his throat, croaked weakly, "No, not at all…"

"Then sit up and talk to us like a proper _hero_ would do!" growled the blue hedgehog.

"Why are you talking to me like this?"

"Because," declared Shadow, "You do _not_ deserve a glorious triumph like this." He stuck a finger straight at the face of his brother, "Isn't that right, _hedgehog_? You know you're not fit for an honourable victory."

"You should've left it to us," added Sonic, "We would've done a _much_ better job of destroying the machine than you. There are just so many ways we could've executed our finishing move."

"But am I not a _hero_?" cried Silver, as overflowing emotion spilled from his chest, "And you guys clearly said the other day that 'we are all working together from various different aspects to build a better overall picture for the city'. Isn't that what I did - what I contributed to - today? I - _we_ \- saved the city together once more!"

"Humph," snorted the midnight hedgehog, "It's funny how you still have the guts to call yourself a _hero_ , after everything you've managed to do."

"Do heroes forget their Chaos Emerald at home?" snapped the cerulean hedgehog, "Do heroes stand in the way of _other heroes_ , disrupting their progress?! No, they clearly _don't_ , Silver the Hedgehog."

"That was a terrible mistake! I didn't mean to, in all honesty, I swear!" begged the hoary hedgehog, his hands tightly clamped together, craving for the mercy of his brothers.

"You've clearly been living with a misconception of what a _hero_ truly is," growled Sonic.

"It won't ever happen again, I promise, I _swear_!" Silver burst out, his voice breaking from the growing weight of emotional burden, "If it takes anything to convince you, I will do it! I _swear_!"

"It most certainly won't," growled the ebony hedgehog, "And you won't ever have to _swear_ again."

The white hedgehog stared blankly at his brothers, a mixture of bewilderment and petrification stirring in his golden orbs.

The blue hedgehog opened his mouth, and simple words of fatality leaked out.

"Consider yourself _discharged_."

And they left the room, leaving not a single particle of lightness in the room. The lone hedgehog clutched his chest. He could cry no more; his internal reservoir of emotions have been completely depleted. He felt impossible to breathe in the dense and oppressive room.

* * *

It took Silver a long and ponderous time to reach sleep. His face was dried up and shrivelled from trails of tributaries of tears.

 _"Didn't you enjoy the exalted feeling of victory earlier today?" asked Mephiles, expecting affirmation from the gleeful hedgehog, "You should be pleased."_

 _"Well, obviously not when your brothers get jealous of you snatching the spotlight away from them!"_

 _The entity only laughed. This infuriated Silver._

 _"How dare you! It's not funny!" roared the aggravated hedgehog, "They even permanently_ exiled _me from their team!"_

 _Mephiles said nothing in response. His snake-like irises narrowed, and walked towards the hedgehog, both arms outstretched._

 _"Mephiles! What are you doing?" Silver shuffled his feet backwards, retreating slowly - far slower than the pace at which the entity was approaching._

 _"Come, into my embrace, Silver the Hedgehog."_

 _"What - no! Stop! Go away! I -" and he tripped on his feet. He fell back, a dull clang resonating into the surrounding empty darkness. Silver glanced up in terrified foreboding as the shadowy figure approached with a confident certainty. Slowly but strangely, the body of Mephiles fell forwards, right onto the motionless hedgehog, and liquified and melded into the grey, furry body._

 _Discomfort surged through his veins as the manipulative shadow invaded and penetrated his body, his soul. He groaned in torment as his body twitched uncontrollably. His eyes - though tightly shut - leaked out a continuous trail of tears, and his fists were firmly pressed onto the unfathomable ground of darkness. Suddenly, as if a spear of ice had been driven through his heart, his entire body jerked up. He felt the indescribable agony of his emotions being torn apart, being dominated by a parasitic force, being thrown into oppression and submission._

 _For the first time in his life, Silver felt the true weight of despair._

 _"Now's your chance, Silver the Hedgehog," the ghostly voice of Mephiles echoed, "Make it happen, now or never."_

 _And Silver realised it was his own voice, speaking from his own mouth._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Ta-da! Congratulations! You've just witnessed the turning point of this story!

Sonic and Shadow just can't dilute the amount of saltiness they experience, can they?!

 **Silver** : *silently sobbing*

 **Mephiles** : _Come, into my embrace, Silver the Hedgehog._

 **Silver** : *reluctantly shuffles closer*

 **Mephiles** : *gives the poor, distraught soul a tight hug*. Good child; everything will be fine. :3

 **Sonic & Shadow**: (IT WON'T.)


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Now that Silver begins to act strangely (I wonder why...!), things finally start to become interesting...

Some minor coarse language exhibited in this Chapter - probably the worst in the entire story - which is what induced me to rate this T just in case it may be deemed unsuitable for some audiences.

Nonetheless, I hope you have a blast reading Silver's vehemence!

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

"Morning, Silver," said Sonic, walking down the stairs towards his lone brother sitting at the breakfast table. Shadow followed wordlessly.

"How are you feeling?"

Silver didn't even turn to look at them. He wasn't sure whether it was indignation, vexation or pure rage stirring inside him. He continued to eat his bowl of cereal, quietly slurping the milk.

"Look, bro, we're _terribly_ sorry for -" The blue hedgehog reached out a hand to his brother, but received an instantaneous slap, and not the forgiveness he sought. He looked significantly wounded at his brother, who dropped his spoon in his almost-empty bowl with a sharp clang. His golden irises stung at his brothers

" _You're_ sorry? Ha. I think _I_ should be the one to apologise. After all, it was _I_ who stole your show, as you made _very_ clear," he mumbled, words laced with poisonous sarcasm.

"No, Silver. It was just, uh, we were all tired, fatigued, after a long day - you being in the spotlight had nothing to do with it - I promise -"

"Don't even _try_ to explain," hissed Silver, irritated, "You were all just jealous that I stole the spotlight from you for once, for the first time in my life, am I right?!" He expected himself to feel guilty for being angry at his brothers. Strangely, the sensation didn't come this time.

"No, Silver, we were so proud of you, for everything you did - it's not like this at all -"

"Then what?!" he retorted harshly, "Am I not part of the _team_ , _your_ team? Do I not deserve to finish off Eggman like you guys always do?! Oh, that's right, you _discharged_ me from my duties!"

"No, not at all, Silver, you're still an _integral_ , _intrinsic_ , _irreplaceable_ part of our team, and will always be! What could we ever accomplish without you?"

"Whipping out the big words now, are we?! You made it crystal clear that I was officially relieved of my duties as a _hero_ last night, so don't even try and eat your own words," he purred venomously.

Sonic fell silent.

"Silver, listen to us - we'll explain -" interrupted Shadow.

"Listen? Since when do _you_ ever listen to _me_?!"

"No - seriously - _do_ listen," continued the ebony hedgehog, "We were all horribly exhausted last evening, and we let our fatigue get the better of us; things like this happen, and occurrences are not as uncommon as we'd like! But I reassure you, Silver, nothing we said yesterday was the truth - not a single sound of it! You're a part of our team, and will always be. I swear - _we_ swear!"

"Yeah, about _that_ ," the white hedgehog deepened his voice, a mocking replica of his brother's, "You won't ever have to swear again," and he screamed, an unrestrained torrent of fury, "BECAUSE I'M NOT BELIEVING A WORD OF THAT _CRAP_!"

And the midnight hedgehog fell silent too. Seeing his brothers dominated by his incandescent spirit, he felt at ease, smug and satisfied. "So," he pronounced with clarity, "Am I a part of your team, _or not_?!"

Sonic and Shadow reacted with immediateness, frantically nodding their heads.

"Humph, fine. You have been forgiven. Consider your fears _discharged_." And he chuckled heartily at his joke. The ivory hedgehog then crossed his arms proudly, bringing, with his dignified movement, an air of silence.

Sonic sighed. "Silver, did you dream last night?" he asked, changing the topic, "Any more nightmares?"

 _Why do you care?_ thought Silver. "No, I didn't."

"That's good."

Silver's heart almost skipped a beat.

He had just successfully lied, for the first time in his life.

 _Or perhaps they still saw through his lies, as usual, but just didn't care. Perhaps they weren't sorry for yesterday, after all._

Silver finished the last remnants of his breakfast and walked outside the door.

* * *

Sunshine beamed on the park amidst a blue, cloudless sky. The breeze was comfortable, soaring gently through his snow-coloured fur. But he didn't feel comfortable at all. His heavy mood did not fit into the light weather.

"Are you feeling better?" asked an approaching Blaze.

 _No. Not at all, Blaze!_ he yelled in his mind. "Yeah, I'm better," he said weakly.

The purple feline frowned in worry. She knew Silver was in no way feeling better, if not worse, but she did not want him to experience an emotional outburst again - it would be terrible for his state.

"Are you sure, Silver?"

"Yes, I am…" Silver looked down, confused.

 _Had he successfully lied to Blaze as well?_

 _Or did she also not care, just like Sonic and Shadow?_

"Blaze," he said, "I'm starting to feel there's something wrong with me."

"Why? What is it?"

 _Did she seriously just say 'why'?_ He tried not to think about it in too much detail.

"I don't feel like myself anymore. I used to be - or at least I think - someone much more optimistic, much more determined, never giving up. This all started to change ever since we talked under the…the _nightlight_."

"What do you mean, Silver? I still see those characteristics equally inside you - if not more predominantly. Perhaps it's just the current situation that's making you feel disheartened."

 _Yeah, sure._ "No, I'm feel like I'm really being slowly depleted of my best qualities."

Blaze paused for a moment. "Then what did you mean by 'change'? In what sense do you not feel like yourself anymore?"

"I…I had nightmares…" Words flooded out of his mouth, not daring to leave behind a single syllable of detail.

Except for the infusion of the shady body into his own.

"…And _Mephiles_ was trying to manipulate me and turn me against Sonic and Shadow. But somehow, I thought he had a point. I was readily agreeing with his opinions, whether they were true or not - I thought they were! I thought Mephiles was completely reasonable! I don't know why I'm being turned against my brothers so easily!"

"That's…atrocious. It's absolutely _imperative_ you hold on to yourself and not be shaken in the face of his manipulation, Silver," the feline said in all seriousness.

 _Mephiles. He_ is _up to something. And it's not looking good._

"Sonic and Shadow told me the same thing before, and I…tried. But I really thought Mephiles was right about my brothers."

"Silver, you're worrying me," said Blaze, her voice almost slightly desperate, "It's terribly queer you're even able to _think_ in this way."

"I know…oh. I had an argument with them last evening."

"How come?"

"Yeah, about _that_ ," Silver instantly sat up, "They were clearly jealous that I dealt the final blow to Eggman yesterday."

"What? No!" Blaze hastily responded, "They're your brothers, Silver! How could you think that they were _jealous_ of you? If anything, they must've been so proud!"

" _Proud_? Does one verbally attack and insult their sibling if they feel _proud_ of him? Does one denounce and _dismiss_ their brother from his duties if they feel _proud_ of him?!"

" _Dismiss_? No, I'm sure it's not what you think, Silver. I'm sure you all had a long day yesterday -"

"Keep on trying, Blaze. Just keep on trying to convince me!"

Blaze stopped speaking and sighed. To this, Silver responded.

"Well, to be frank, _I_ am quite proud of myself. Sure, it felt unusual dealing the final blow to Eggman, but I felt happy, exalted, almost… _godly_."

"I don't think you should consider it unusual, Silver. You're a part of the team, and it's only natural for you to defeat threats like Eggman again and again!"

 _That's right. I'm a part of the team. Sonic and Shadow clearly admitted it this morning. I'll be able to deal the final blow to Eggman again and again_ , Silver thought, _And that'll be awesome…_

"And I argued with them this morning again," he said, and, seeing Blaze's shocked expression, quickly added, "Well…I guess what we _said_ wasn't so important. What _was_ important, was that I won the argument. For the first time in my life. Like, how Sonic and Shadow pretty much yielded to me and gave in…"

Blaze frowned. _Sonic and Shadow aren't ones to surrender in an argument._

"Well, I mean," she said, choosing her words carefully, "We all have to win arguments sometimes, right?"

"Humph," snorted Silver, muttering, "I bet they were just trying to avoid my indignation and anger."

"Don't say that, Silver!"

"As if _I'm_ the only one who doesn't face his fears - _cowards_!" he yelled.

Both fell silent. After a while, Silver spoke up again.

"Blaze?"

"What is it, Silver?"

"I think _we_ make a great team."

"I think we make a _perfect_ team!"

Silver smiled. He leaned onto Blaze, comfortably, as if she were his sister. Blaze welcomed him in her embrace with shaky hands. She tried to keep her face relaxed and her smile genuine, but, on the inside, she was panicking and her heart was thumping so powerfully against her chest it made her increasingly uncomfortable. Silver appeared not to notice her apprehension.

 _Silver never talked like this. Something is terribly wrong,_ she thought.

"Silver, are you _sure_ you're okay? Is there something you're holding back from me?"

"N-no, not at all, Blaze. What makes you think so?"

"There _must_ be something else. You…you don't usually talk like this…" the purple feline said the latter part of her words in a whisper.

"How do _you_ know how I talk? What makes _you_ think you know who I really am, Blaze?"

"Because I'm your best friend, and I've known you for a long, long time -"

"Is that your reason?" snapped Silver, instantly sitting back up, shaking off and shuffling away from Blaze's embrace, "Sonic and Shadow have known me for their _entire life_ , and even they don't seem to know who I am. Remember how they simply excluded me from the fight the other day? Yeah, and they think they're my brothers. How ridiculous!"

Blaze sighed again. "Yes, Sonic and Shadow _did_ attack you - but they never intended to! I'll be rudely blunt: you _were_ standing in their way, Silver."

"Wh-what…Blaze!" stuttered Silver, suddenly active, "How could you?!"

"No, Silver, listen -"

" _Their_ way? What do you mean by _their_ way?! So was I just simply removed from the fight because I left my Chaos Emerald at home?!"

"It wasn't their fault you left your Chaos Emerald at home, Silver!" Blaze responded in a soothing voice, as soft as possible, to calm the agitated hedgehog, but only grew evermore fierce at her words.

"Yeah, Blaze! Of course it was my fault - _my_ fault - that I left my Chaos Emerald at home, that I was neglected and dismissed from participating in the remainder of the fight! Thanks so much for making it _so_ clear, as if it wasn't clear enough already!"

"No, listen, let me explain -"

"Even _you_ are turning against me, Blaze! Even my _best friend_! Who else in this world can I trust now?!"

For an instantaneous moment, something changed in Silver. Then, everything was back to normal again. Blaze caught the shocking phenomenon.

"Silver?!"

"What!"

"No, Silver. Something just happened. Tell me, did you feel anything brief, anything odd?"

"Everything feels odd to me now!"

"Please, Silver. Be reasonable. I really, _really_ want to help," pleaded the feline - something she seldom did. "In all honesty, your eyes just flickered, and…and your eyes disappeared!"

"Oh, really?" he said nonchalantly, amused. He imagined himself without his intrigued golden orbs, "That's quite cool."

"No, it's _not_!" Blaze pronounced, her voice almost a roar.

Silver shrugged childishly. He couldn't help but smile, as strange as it seemed, to his panicking friend.

"Silver, in all honesty, stop being ridiculous. It's not funny at all."

"Fine. Whatever you say, Blaze," the white hedgehog rolled his eyes.

" _No_ , look at me," she purred, her voice deadly serious, "Right now I _yearn_ for your wellbeing, Silver. I want you to feel better, to be your optimistic and cheery self you always were. It pains me to see you like this, Silver."

 _It pains me to see you like this._ An abrupt current of desirous adrenaline surged through his body. He felt unrestrained, unleashed, bonds tying his modest self loosened and thrown away. Silver giggled. He didn't care that his vision was blurring. The giggle grew into a chuckle, then into a laugh, into a guffaw. It sounded rough and harsh, as though the voice didn't belong to him.

The distressed purple feline could not bear it any longer. " _SILVER_!"

Instantly, he stopped. "What."

"How…how dare you!" screamed Blaze, her eyes wet with frustrated tears, "I'm trying my very best to help you, and all you do is not listen to me, and laugh!"

Silver grunted, "Then your _best_ clearly isn't very good, is it?"

She paused for a moment, fury flooding her instincts. "This is not the Silver I knew, the shy and reserved, kindhearted, obedient Silver I saw only _yesterday_ ," her voice had retreated back into a monotonous purr, as though it lost its rush.

"We _change_ , Blaze," he said nonchalantly, "We grow through our experiences and mature and evolve; we discard our cocoons and become free like a butterfly."

The feline stood up. "This isn't you, Silver. You're not speaking as yourself. You're _possessed_ ," she said venomously, her tone quivering, and stormed off.

Silver shrugged. He sat alone in the park, staring into the tranquil distance. His breathing gradually grew heavier as his eyes cleared, revealing the empty space next to him where Blaze once was. He felt more and more disheartened and perplexed at his best friend's disappearance. Regret had slapped him in the face, and now he was awake - awake and heartbroken.

He whimpered, like a child, "I'm sorry, Blaze. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. I don't know what's happened to me. Please, come back. Blaze…"

Blaze did not return. He reckoned she won't today, maybe not even tomorrow, the day after, or - the thought gave him a painful nudge in the heart - ever again. He shut his eyes, wishing for darkness to oppress and dissipate his woeful thoughts.

When he opened his eyes again, he uttered a scream.

The landscape was completely barren. The grass his feet treaded on had withered into a swarming mass of brown, worm-like structures poking in all grotesque directions; the trees were stark naked, its sharp branches and tips crying in the hollow, ghostly wind; the surrounding city, under the bleak, discoloured hue of the cloudy, sunless sky, seemed lifeless and abandoned. It was a deathly winter.

 _But surely it was summer?_

He closed his eyes, shaking his head in panic, internally screaming. Then, the internal wails found its way into his larynx, out of his mouth, for seconds that seemed like minutes. Soon after, it was gone, retreated back into his subconscious mind.

He reopened his eyes.

Everything was normal again. Green grass, green trees, blue cloudless skies, shining sun…

 _What had happened?_

* * *

The purple feline streaked through the city streets.

She wasn't furious. She was terrified. The thought of her abnormal friend nagged and nipped at her mind, propelling her to go faster. She crossed many streets and roads - inviting a barrage of horn sounds as she weaved swiftly in between the sparse traffic while frantically apologising to the open air; she, instead of heading straight down the main road, took a sharp turn to the right, into a shortcut alleyway just narrow enough for her to shift through sideways; then, leaping over a high fence, cutting her leg from the serrated wood, she arrived at the front door of the hedgehogs' house. Briefly, she glanced at her wound, a streak of crimson red, swelling little blood. She smiled weakly, panting as hard as her lungs would allow, and reassured herself that she had saved countless precious minutes for Silver's sake. and that her minor injury was nothing compared to what her friend was going through.

She bashed her paws on the door. Sonic opened up.

"Blaze? What's the matter? Are you -"

"Sonic! Get Shadow! Silver's in…trouble! He's…in the park!"

* * *

The grass rustled. It was caused by a multitude of footsteps. The ivory hedgehog spun round, seeing Blaze advance towards him.

Silver twitched at her presence. "Blaze…I'm _so_ sorry." His voice sounded high-pitched and strangled, "I shouldn't have behaved like that, especially towards you."

"No, don't mention it," she replied.

"After you left, I felt so cold and helpless and scared. I shouldn't have pushed you away with my…unacceptable, irrational attitude. I…I was horrified. I was scared. I…" and his eyes fell on the figures behind the purple feline.

"Don't worry Silver," she reassured, and jogged towards the motionless hedgehog. "I got Sonic and Shadow."

Silver froze at the appearance of his brothers. "Oh…oh. How nice of you…"

"Don't be scared, Silver. We're all here to help," reassured Sonic.

They took their seats beside Silver; Shadow, on the very left, and Sonic and Blaze adjacent to Silver, who had begun to feel slightly uncomfortable with both Blaze and his brothers. It didn't seem private or formal enough for his two sources of trust to mingle together. He felt even more uncomfortable when the adjacent bodies of Sonic and Blaze were softly pressed against his sides.

"Silver, buddy, you alright?" asked Sonic, his eyes green with concern. "You were acting all strange since morning."

He didn't reply. He was concentrating on a piercing voice that hissed in his mind.

"Silver? Silver! Please, say something!"

 _Tell them how you're feeling_ , the voice said, _Scream it to them!_

"No…but…I can't…!" whispered a trembling Silver.

"Silver! What's happening?!" shouted Blaze.

 _Do it, Silver the Hedgehog._

"I…I…stop! Please!" his voice grew louder, more unstable, more fearful.

Shadow jumped up from his seat and went around Sonic to face Silver. His firm hands were clasped on his shoulders. "Silver, snap out of it, whatever is happening -"

 _Say it. Now._

" _NO!_ "

Silver's sight became unclear again, his emotions collapsing under the overwhelming burden of sanity. His eyes glowed blue, and the black hedgehog was surrounded by a psychokinetic hue. He was immediately pushed away.

"Shadow!" Sonic rushed over to help his brother, taken by surprise, while Blaze gripped Silver's arm tightly.

Foggy eyes had cleared. Silver glanced at Blaze, and cried.

"B-Blaze…!"

"Silver, what's the matter?! Don't look so terrified!"

"Y-your eyes, Blaze…! Your eyes…are black and… _bleeding_!" He inched away from the purple feline, but her hands were secured around his frail arm.

"Silver, don't be ridiculous! Snap out of it and look at me!"

 _Look at her,_ laughed the voice, _Look her in the eyes, full of blood._

"Go away!" The ivory hedgehog shook free of her grip, and bolted towards his brothers, who were just getting up in the distance.

"Sonic…Shadow…help! Please -"

His own words choked back into his throat when he saw the same eyes, as empty as a black nothingness, leaking foul, red liquid. He threw himself backwards so quickly he almost flipped and fell onto the floor.

"Silver!" shouted Sonic and Shadow. They both pressed onto the trembling hedgehog on the floor, trying to calm him down, but they only magnified his agitation.

"Silver, please!" begged Sonic, "Tell us what's wrong!"

The white hedgehog almost ceased to breathe as he saw mouths full of sharp, vampiric teeth, stained with blood, tongues flapping excitedly as they spoke, as if they had an alien life of their own. "Your eyes…" he croaked feebly. Out of maddened desperation, he released a burst of psychic power into his surroundings, launching his towering brothers away. They quickly picked themselves up and charged towards him.

 _They're coming!_ urged the voice, _You better run, Silver the Hedgehog._

And he heartlessly obeyed, running away from his brothers, running away from the bench and Blaze, running out of the park, clutching his fists, holding on to what was left of his sane life.

He got home and flung himself onto his bed. He didn't even bother to drag his duvet over his fatigued body, nor did he think of wiping his face clean of streaming tears.

* * *

" _SILVER!_ "

He had barely fallen asleep when the front door was kicked open, and in no time did three figures barge into his room. He was gripped and shaken up by a pair of gloved hands. It was Shadow's.

"Silver…Silver! Please! Tell us, what's wrong?!"

"NO! Go away! Don't touch me!"

"Open your eyes, Silver! Look at us!"

He opened his eyes. "H-huh? What?" stammered Silver, taken aback. Sonic and Shadow looked perfectly normal, apart from being utterly shocked. "Your eyes…are normal. And so are your teeth! And everything else…"

"That's right. You _well_ know, _hedgehog_ , what is wrong. _Tell us_!"

"I…I…"

"You were acting all weird and freaked out in the park, Silver!" added Sonic, "Your behaviour is getting more and more extreme - you've never been like this before!"

"Y-yeah…"

"Yeah? _Yeah_?! Is that all you could manage?! Don't you realise how _terrified_ we were?!"

A splitting pain hit him in the head. Silver groaned through gritted teeth, and then cried out loud.

 _Tell them you don't care, Silver. Bite them!_ cooed the voice, almost seductive.

"No…I can't! They're worried about me! I can't just reject their kindness!"

"Silver?! Stop talking to yourself -" began Shadow.

"Shadow, stop!" shouted Blaze, "Listen carefully to what he's saying -"

"Why do you guys care?!" howled Silver.

And everything was silent. The three standing figures stared at the hoary hedgehog in disbelief.

"Wh-what? Silver?" said Sonic, in a tense voice.

"What did you just say?" added Shadow, his voice low and deadly.

"N-nothing! I don't know what's happening to me!" The headache receded, and the poor hedgehog was flooded with helplessness as he faced the stern gazes of his brothers.

"Silver," said Shadow, his tone serious and menacing, "We're trying our best to help you, and we'd all very much appreciate your behaviour and _cooperation_."

"Y-yes, Shadow. I'll try my best."

"Fine," he continued, "So. What were you saying about our eyes, again?"

Silver gulped. "They were dark and empty. Your eyes were red, and leaked blood…"

Shadow sighed, half in worry, half in disgust. "Anything else?"

"Your teeth were sharp and bloody too. And your tongues were slimy and stuff…"

" _Stuff_? Elaborate."

"No, no, that's pretty much it…"

The black hedgehog eyes him suspiciously. "Are you sure? Not holding anything back from us?"

"No, n-no," his brother shook his head hastily and frantically.

"How come you're seeing us like this?" questioned Sonic, "Blaze told us you were acting strangely. Why is this? What's wrong?"

"I-I…uh, I h-honestly don't know…" an invisible power held his throat tight, preventing genuine and desperate words from escaping.

 _Lie to them!_ the voice whispered in his ears.

Silver cried again, throwing his hands upwards, pressed against his head. "Stop! Please! Get out of my head!" he sobbed.

"Silver!" Sonic turned to a frightened Shadow and Blaze, "Something _really_ is going on."

He reached out for Silver, but Shadow slapped his hand. "No, Sonic, don't touch him. Let him think."

 _Tell them you don't need their help!_ the voice suddenly howled, crazed. _Tell them to go away!_

The white hedgehog's screeches grew evermore, crescendoing into a banshee-like wail that sung pain and suffering into the hearts of Sonic, Shadow and Blaze, who clenched their teeth in stress and worry.

"No…NO!" The container finally burst, and he shrieked, "You think _you_ unworthy specimens have the right to help me?! Ha! You can't even save your own lives!" And he cackled with thunderous laughter. A strong glow of _dark_ aqua illuminated the room. "You better run - _run!_ \- before I come for you…"

The three figures were petrified. They stared, dumbfounded, at the poor creature on the bed.

"H-he's mad," stuttered Sonic, "Silver's gone mad."

The laughter died down. The three horrified figures were frozen on the spot as convoluted sounds of whimpering and sobbing came from the throat of the white hedgehog. For a moment, all was silent, apart from the stuttered breathing.

And then he felt as if a metallic stake was driven through his insides towards his head. He cried again, pressing his hands to his head. Sonic lashed out his arm to comfort his brother, but as soon as he made contact, a burst of psychic energy sent him flying towards the wall. He crashed into the wall, scarcely missing the bookshelf that housed all the books. The blue hedgehog groaned and got up with difficulty. The entire room seemed to tremble under the influence of psychic energy that emanated from the uncontrolled white hedgehog.

"Sonic!" shouted Shadow, "And Blaze. We have to get out of here." They turned towards the door.

A bolt of psychic energy struck the wall behind, narrowly missing them by no more than a hair's length. A crack appeared where the attack had struck, jagged, broken lines exploded narrowly across all directions. They whipped their heads around. Silver's eyes were wide open, and his irises glowed a faint aquamarine, almost fading in the white background of his sclera. His fists were clenched, and gradually, hues of blue surrounded every individual object in the room. They shook, free of gravity's grip, rising into the air.

"No! Run!" screamed Sonic. Together, the three horrified figures escaped the room. As soon as they hurriedly shut the door, a mixture of discordant, cacophonous sounds resonated from beyond the closed door.

"That's right…you better run, before I come and terminate your worthless lives," the voice said again, rising above all the chaos, more than clear enough for Sonic, Shadow and Blaze to hear.

"H-he really _is_ mad," said Sonic, quivering.

"No," said Blaze, equally aghast, "It's _not_ Silver. _He's not Silver_."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

You're right! He's not Silver! But who is he now?

 **Silver** : Um, hello? I'm still _Silver_. _Silver the Hedgehog_. Silver the Hedgehog of justice, of psychokinesis, of the future, etc. You know who I am. ^_^

 **Sonic:** Silver the easily-corruptible hedgehog.

 **Shadow** : Silver the super-susceptible-to-creeps-and-stalkers hedgehog.

 **Silver** : *cries* You're so mean...!

I hope I've fired things up even more by complicating Silver and Blaze's relationship! (No Silvaze, please, no.)

And just to clarify, in case you haven't made the connections of blood and vampiric teeth and such, there were some .EXE references. Be prepared to see more in the upcoming Chapters!


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Silver spends some alone time...with Mephiles.

Also, I happily introduce to you...the Chaotix! (Sadly, without Mighty the Armadillo. Our best wishes, blessings and prayers go to you. Mighty for President/Prime Minister 20XX. You have our vote, love and condolences.)

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

The first signs of sunshine bled through the curtain seams. A certain blue hedgehog was standing in front of a door tightly shut. He looked as if he had not slept the previous night. He hadn't. His eyelids were heavy, threatening to fall and put him to sleep, the only thing preventing him from doing so is his occupying anxiety and concern for a certain white hedgehog.

"Silver?" called Sonic cautiously.

No reply.

"Silver?" he tried again with a gentler tone, this time nearing the door. It was tightly shut.

Still no reply.

The room was an atrocious mess: the remnants of broken objects were scattered on the floor, on the table, on the bed; a large opening exploded out of the shattered window, gaping mockingly at the paralysed hedgehog, who had retreated to the very corner of the walls, on his bed, hugging his legs tightly in a sitting crouch. Carcasses of books of all sizes and volumes lay motionlessly on the ground, fallen from the partially-damaged bookshelf, their pages torn and ripped.

 _Oh, by the name of the Chaos Emeralds, what have I done…?_

Silver had reduced himself to merely a ball of fur. His sleep-deprived eyes moved in a delayed fashion, to the left, to the right, weakly absorbing the dilapidated state of the room. He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that everything will be fine when he opens them again.

As if all had been a dream, a horrendous nightmare.

A light, repeated knock at his door nudged at his consciousness. Someone was calling his name.

"Silver, can I come in?"

The prevailing outdoor wind sneaked in through the window, gently soaring through his dishevelled fur. The white hedgehog answered the door with his psychic powers.

"Silver!" exclaimed the blue hedgehog, full of shock. "Let's get you out of here now."

"But…the broken windows, the damage I've done…" whimpered Silver, terrified.

"No, don't you worry. We got this in our hands," replied Sonic, optimistic as usual, "You go take refuge in my room. Have a good wash first."

Rigidly, Silver nodded, feeling the stiff fibres of his neck wring his skin tight, tight with discomfort. Sonic hurried off, presumably to get help.

Footsteps heavy, he trudged to his brother's room under his sincere permission. He went straight for the bathroom, and hastily turned on the tap, adjusting its temperature. Slowly, warm water had filled the bathtub. Cautiously, Silver stepped in.

The comforting liquid hugged his legs and ankles with such a perfect warmth that he instantaneously sank down, spraying some water out of the container. He switched off the tap in satisfaction and relief, and stretched out his loosened limbs. Amidst his dreamy contentment, he caught the sound of impatient footsteps rush up the stairs, stopping at what he believed was his devastated room. Curiously, he tried to guess and imagine who it was. _Sonic and Shadow must be there._ he thought idly, _Blaze too. Not sure about everyone else._ But he secretly hoped others were there as well. A conversation seemed to be taking place beyond the walls of the bathroom.

"Well, you know," began a rough voice, "The Chaotix can offer you the best-quality repair and recovery services -"

"Shut up, Vector," said Shadow.

Silver's sleepy gaze drifted towards a delicately-framed picture on the ledge of the bathtub. The frame was embedded with the word _BROTHERS_ , and below ran a carefully-etched caption _I'LL ALWAYS BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED ME._

He frowned as a wave of sadness overcame him. The three hedgehogs in the picture were younger than they are now, their eyes brimming, carefree and innocent. Their faces were adorably close to the camera that took this memorable picture, all huddled together in a tight hug; Sonic and Shadow on the sides, grinning voraciously, squeezing an equally-jovial Silver in the middle. Though smiling timidly, his eyes were shining with an unrivalled gratefulness and security that were missing so prominently in the black-hole-like pupils of the dejected hedgehog that slouched, inactive, in the tub of gradually-cooling water.

 _I'm so glad you're my brothers,_ the young Silver seemed to say, golden orbs beaming in the sunlight.

The initial sadness was replaced by a burst of anger. The emotion grew in his body, rising like an agitated volcano about to explode, but it stopped at his throat, its hot viciousness choking him with severe discomfort. He wanted to scream, to rid his body of the irate lava, but it just stayed there, in his windpipe, and solidified into sedate coldness. Silver buried his head in his eyes, and sobbed silently.

His body twitched. Then the bathtub was no longer filled with water.

Silver lifted his head out of his hands, and saw his fingers and palms laced with haphazard trails of blood. The lines of glistening red was a traumatic blow to his head; forebodingly, he moved his arms to his sides, the curtains opening to a vermillion grandeur.

His furry body was dyed red, drenched in blood.

He sat in a bloodbath.

And a vile, viscous substance emerged from the drain. It was red, but darker than blood, and looked like goo. It writhed towards him from the other end of the bathtub as it continued to gush out of the drain. Silver shrunk back. He could see that the substance possessed not only itself, but also sickening remnants of bones, corpses, and organs.

His entire body of muscles all went into spasm at once. He swung his left arm blindly, smashing the brotherly picture frame into pieces. The shards of wood and glass were scattered everywhere. The picture fell into the bath, utterly soaked, and soon began to break apart, the heads of young Sonic detached from young Shadow, and young Silver. Soon, they were no more. Silver leapt out of the bath and shrieked. His feet on the slippery bathroom floor caused him to slip and fall with a loud thud, breaking his distressed cry.

There were pools of blood on the white marble floor.

He was lying in one himself.

The slime was approaching inevitably.

Everything was so faint, so dizzy. The marble floor was pressed against his face, his heart, the coldness seeping through his pores and fibres of skin; he felt as if the wetness surrounding his body was slowly coagulating, solidifying, into ice.

The door swung open.

"Silver…what happened?!" whispered Sonic, terrified, as he placed his hand on the soaked body of his brother.

Silver screamed, and jumped back up. "GET OFF ME, YOU DISGUSTING, SLIMY SUBSTANCE!" His dizziness caused him to teeter on the ground, and he would've fallen back if a pair of gloved hands had not grabbed him firmly.

"Stop freaking out! Tell me what's the matter!"

"Blood…blood everywhere!" he croaked weakly, but then he opened his eyes and took a good look around, "Blood…? There's no blood now…"

"Of course there's no blood _now_ ; there never was, _joker_!" Sonic sighed, and brought his brother into his chest. Freeing one hand, he reached to the side and grabbed his towel, and gently dabbed the wet skin of the shivering, sobbing hedgehog. "I think you should go out for a walk, Silver. Go to the park. Enjoy the sunshine, and relax."

He gave Silver a tight squeeze. He didn't realise Silver was crying.

* * *

"Well, what are we going to do with this mess, then?!" demanded Sonic.

"We've achieved absolutely no progress with your presence," roared Shadow, "You're just here to waste our precious time!"

"No, no, we're not," hastily interjected Vector, "We'll explain -"

"I don't need any explanations. I just need you to _leave_. We'll sort this mess ourselves."

The Chaotix scurried out of the room.

"Where's that white hedgehog? I swear something's wrong with him all a sudden," muttered Vector.

"He probably went to the park," replied Espio nonchalantly.

"Let's go to the park!" squealed Charmy.

* * *

The hoary hedgehog did not realise it was already the afternoon. He had collapsed to sleep on the bench as soon as he got there.

The trio approached him with a multitude of footsteps. Only when they were an arm's length away did he slowly stir, open his eyes, and turn his head to face them. He looked lost. His golden orbs no longer shone with a curious intrigue, but instead seemed to fade into the white sclera of his eyes, empty of essence.

"What do you want…" he mumbled sleepily.

"You look like you've just woken up! Were you asleep?" asked Charmy.

The white hedgehog glared daggers at the ignorant bee. Espio answered instead, "Yes, he was."

"By the way, Silver," spoke Vector, his tone intentionally entrancing, "The Chaotix is currently offering a support scheme for the mentally-challenged and distressed! Any idea you might be interested?"

"Yeah!" added Charmy Bee, unhelpfully enthusiastic amidst the gloomy situation, "We can offer discounts 'cause we're all friends!"

"Oh, shut up, you two," interrupted the reasonable Espio. "This actually seems to be quite serious." The chameleon turned formally to face the hedgehog, "We're here to ask you a few questions about recent affairs."

Silver gulped.

"We heard that you've been suffering some sort of…intense headache recently. Am I right?"

The hoary hedgehog said nothing. He continued to stare at the three figures with his deprived golden orbs. The longer he stared, the more something didn't seem right. His vision began to shimmer, to blur. He rubbed his eyes frantically until everything was complete darkness. For a moment, Silver was stupefied by his blindness.

Then, all was clear.

All was distorted.

"So…what's the deal?" added Charmy, but he recoiled slightly at the terrified gaze of the white hedgehog.

And then, Silver screamed. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Huh? Are you okay, Mister Silver - woah, hold it there!" Knives of psychic energy scarcely missed the flying bee by centimetres. Together, the Chaotix looked at the disordered hedgehog. His golden relics were full of paranoia. His hands were poised, ready for battle and defence.

A voice in his head nagged at his instincts, a deep growl, _Brains, Silver. They want brains; you can give yours to them._

"Get away from me. Don't make me do this," he purred, voice trembling.

"Hey, kid, don't get all fired up! We don't mean any harm -" growled Vector, _a mixture of bloody liquid and rotting material in his mouth_.

"PSYCHIC KNIFE!"

The Chaotix were knocked back as they collectively groaned. Their attacker quickly flew out of the park and disappeared round the corner of the streets.

"Since when did _he_ take a liking to violence…?" muttered Vector absent-mindedly.

The eyes of the white hedgehog grew wider as he continued flying. The landscape was severely discoloured, every single detail altered. There was debris everywhere, yet he was able to fly right through them; and not a single person was on the streets, despite the fact that he could hear the muffled sounds of conversation.

Silver landed. He looked around: he was home. Everything slowly faded back to normal, and he uttered a small exclamation of surprise. He barged straight into the bathroom, and closed the door shut, drawing the attention of his brothers, who were still busy in his room.

He examined his own reflection, so distraught and so different to what he thought he was like no more than a week ago.

Suddenly, his reflection flashed a grin of evil back at his shocked face.

 _Wasn't that fun?_ it said, the mouth moving in sync with the voice of Mephiles in his head.

 _No, it definitely wasn't!_ he raged back silently.

"Silver?! Is that you in there?!" called Sonic, "Open up, pal."

"I didn't lock the door!" replied Silver, but realisation struck him as the reflection in the mirror seemed to clutch its chest, laughing with the harsh voice in his head.

 _But_ I _did_ , stated Mephiles. I _locked the door…_

The white hedgehog started for the door and tried to pull it open - despite the lock not being fastened - but it did not bulge, as if sealed by some magical, unfathomable force.

 _…And you can't open it! Ha ha ha…_ he cackled relentlessly.

"Grrr…" Silver growled in fury, "You MONSTER!"

 _Oh, no, Silver, I think you're mistaken…_ the voice replied, as calm as ice.

"Silver?! What's happening?!" cried Sonic.

"Open up!" shouted Shadow, as he banged his fists on the unyielding door.

 _I'm only doing it for your protection and safety…_

 _No, you're not! Get out of my head!_ Silver clamped his hands to his head and pushed hard, hoping to squeeze the perpetrator out of his mind.

 _You know what they say, Silver the Hedgehog: never let_ them _in…_ he joked.

A rapid succession of blurry images flashed through Silver's head - the empty, vampiric gazes of his brothers eating away his sanity, their eyes and mouths dripping fresh trails of blood -

Instinctively, he punched the glass mirror where his mocking reflection once stood. As soon as the glass bits shattered and fell to the floor, the door was released of its spell and flew open, hitting him and knocking him to the floor amongst the jagged bits of glass. Sonic and Shadow stormed in. Silver raised his arms in defence, but, realising that his brothers looked perfectly normal - apart from being utterly appalled - he put them down, whimpering.

Shadow marched forwards and hauled him up, holding him firmly. He carefully and delicately dusted off any glass shards on his body, but his gaze was stern, penetrating through Silver's own.

"Who _are_ you, Silver?" His grip tightened.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

" _Who_ really are you? You're different. You're not who you used to be. Tell us who you are, so we can start to get to know the new _you_."

 _Yes, Silver, the new you._ A sharp pain drove through his head. _Isn't it lovely to be a new person?_

The white hedgehog shut his eyes in pain, squeezing out a flurry of tears.

"Help…" he croaked, "Help me, Shadow…" he threw his arms round his brother's, and the hands gripping his body relaxed and embraced him own.

The ebony hedgehog sighed audibly. "Fine; yes, we will. Let's go to the park and have a talk."

"The…the park…!" said Silver, his voice wavering.

"Yes, the park. Where else?"

"Don't go to the park! Please!" he pleaded.

"Why not? We always go to the park!" interjected Sonic, standing on the side, "It's such a nice place!"

" _NO_. It's not," retorted the ivory hedgehog, "There are _monsters_ there…they want… _brains_ …"

Shadow looked at Sonic in disbelief and worry. _What is wrong with this guy? He's delusional._

Sonic returned a gaze of sympathy. _No idea…_

"Silver," began Shadow, "The park is not filled with monsters. The park isn't dangerous -"

"Monsters," gasped Silver, "Monsters with organs in their mouths and blood leaking from their eyes…"

 _Shadow, didn't this happen before?_ Sonic looked at Shadow again, who shared the same expression of terror as him, _With_ us _?_

 _Damn right, it did,_ retorted the black hedgehog with a gaze of seriousness.

 _We're going to have to convince him to go to the park,_ signalled Sonic.

The black hedgehog began to tug his brother, who had sunk down and rested all his weight on his arms and refused to be moved away from the fixed spot.

"Silver, relax, we're only going to the park! Stop resisting!" he seethed.

"No! I'm not going!"

"Yes, you are, _white hedgehog_." Shadow pulled more and more, causing his brother to wail in protest.

"Shadow, stop!" shouted Sonic, "We can't aggravate his… _state_!" he whispered the last word cautiously.

The black hedgehog averted his gaze in guilt.

"Silver," said Shadow, "Trust us, there won't be a single monster in the park."

"B-but there was…they may still be there!" he replied hysterically, eyes widening in fear at the thought.

"And if - by any chance - there is, we'll protect you," declared Shadow.

"Nothing will hurt you when we're here, we _promise_ ," added Sonic, dramatising the situation by cracking his fists and pushing them together.

The white hedgehog got up with difficulty from his slouching position, and, with his brothers' arms wrapped snugly on his shoulders, trudged out of the house towards the park.

* * *

The park was empty, much to their appeal. The wind rustled between the branches and falling leaves as the three hedgehogs walked towards the vacant benches. Silver absent-mindedly opened his palm to try and catch a leaf - without success. They got to the benches and sat down.

Sonic and Shadow looked straight into the eyes of the hoary hedgehog. The blue one spoke up first, gently clutching his hand in his own, "Silver, I know we've been through this numerous times before, but please, tell us, what's the matter?"

"I feel different. I feel possessed. I don't feel like who I used to be…" he gulped.

"Keep going, Silver. Elaborate for us," encouraged Shadow.

 _Oh, God, here it goes…_ "I…I keep hearing a voice in my head, telling me to do things - _forcing_ me to do things!"

Shadow glanced at Sonic, who returned the same gaze of solemnity.

Pain surged into the mind of the white hedgehog. The very voice he had mentioned rang through his head, tolling and terrorising. _Listen, hedgehog, if you do so much as to give another hint to your brothers, I will drive you down the road of insanity. Do you hear me?_

 _You already are! Go away!_ he begged internally.

 _This is nothing compared to what I can do. I_ will _retreat, if you listen and obey all my commands to the fullest._ Silver shut his eyes. In the dark, he can scarcely make out the slit pupils of a snake against bright-red sclerae, watching and listening to his every movement, every word.

"Silver, who is this _voice_ you're talking about?" pursued Shadow.

 _Don't you dare…don't you dare do it,_ it echoed maliciously.

"I…I don't know!"

"Here we go again," Sonic rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, you _do_. Tell us, Silver," growled Shadow.

"No, I can't -" His eyes widened into the distance.

"What's wrong?! Silver!" shouted the midnight hedgehog.

"I-it's them! They're coming!" he said, as he pointed a shaky finger into the distance where three figures were approaching.

Sonic and Shadow swung their heads around. "It's only the Chaotix, Silver," stated Sonic, "Don't be so scared."

"It's the monsters…they want our brains…"

"No, they don't," responded Shadow, "Everything is going to be fine. Now, if you don't mind, you've a question to answer for us."

The white hedgehog said nothing, but shook his head frantically.

"I'll go talk to them and see what they want." The azure hedgehog sighed, and hopped off the benches, but was restrained by a gloved hand. Silver's.

"Please don't let them hurt you…"

"Of course I won't!" And he rushed off to greet the approaching trio.

"You're worrying too much. As much as the Chaotix annoys me, they're completely harmless and friendly. You've nothing to worry about, Silver," said Shadow, an arm round his brother's rigid body, "And Sonic always has everything under his control."

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Sonic jogged the last few steps and came to a halt.

"Hey, Sonic," replied Vector, "Nothing much, just here to have a look around…"

The cerulean hedgehog narrowed his eyes. "You sure? You want anything from us?"

"No, not really - not at all -"

"About that," interrupted Charmy, "We are actually here to see Silver!"

Vector grunted in disapproval at the exposure of their motives. "Charmy!" he said, "You weren't supposed to say that!"

"Oh, was I not?"

"Yeah! We were supposed to look innocent and casually observe them from the distance!"

"Well," said Sonic, matter-of-factly, "Considering how you walked _straight_ to us, you clearly had something in mind. Maybe a better plan would suffice for next time!"

"Oh, well, fine…" muttered Vector, dejected.

"What do you want from him?" Sonic half-raised his arms defensively.

"I mean, he doesn't seem to be looking very well…" said Espio, but he trailed off as he met the stern green orbs of the hedgehog.

"That's none of your concern. If you're got no other reason for being here, then I suggest you leave. We need some valuable private time together -"

Vector stepped forwards, "Hey, look, we don't mean you any harm! We're just curious - and concerned for him, too!"

"Well, then, thanks for worrying," retorted Sonic, a tinge of sarcasm, "But you can leave that to us -"

Vector took another step forwards. He opened his jaws to speak, but was disrupted by another piercing voice.

"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!" cried Silver.

"Yeah, you heard it, Chaotix! Leave me - wait, what? What's the matter, Silver?" The blue hedgehog glanced at his brother in confusion. His orbs glowed fiercely bright, and he was surrounded by a faint, psychokinetic hue.

"Silver! Stop! What are you doing?" seethed Shadow, grabbing his brother. He shook him off with difficulty.

"What am _I_ doing? These are the monsters I was talking about earlier…these were the ones who tried to kill me!" raged Silver.

Sonic and Shadow would've laughed if only the situation wasn't so dire.

"No, Silver, they're not. You're surely mistaken," the ebony hedgehog held his brother firmly once again.

A flash. Immediately, their eyes were nothing but black holes, with a detached red dot in each. Blood trailed out relentlessly, down their cheeks, to the grassy ground, tainting it red. They seemed to open their mouths, revealing sharp, deadly teeth, laced with blood, and the remains of a furry creature with white-grey fur that reminded him of his own.

"You monsters have got nothing on me…" his tone was dark and ominous, "You better scamper for your dear lives before I blow your bodies to pieces…"

"Kid, calm down -" began Vector.

"No, Vector, actually _run_!" yelled Espio.

The hoary hedgehog swung his leg back, kicking his brother square in the pelvic area. He let go of him once again, wincing at the blow. Silver screamed, "Psychic Knife!"

The trio whipped their bodies around and bolted away for their life as blades of pure energy sliced through the air effortlessly. They threw themselves on the floor, avoiding the attack, then climbed back up and staggered away. Silver was breathing heavily. The aquamarine hue was gone, and the brightness of his eyes dimmed, revealing his lost, dulled golden orbs again. He swayed to the side in dizziness, still held by his brother, who said nothing but gently ushered him back to the bench. Sonic joined them without delay. For a while, no one spoke up; they sat in a depressing silence as the wind weaved freely between their spines; but lava was rising, boiling, inside Sonic. Deprived of sleep, he felt immensely irritated; he thought back to everything that has happened today: Silver's spontaneous outbursts of insanity, increasing in frequency; his room - a part of the house - devastated; and the existence of the Chaotix nagged and nipped at his mind. None of this helped ease his emotions. Shadow felt the same. He was starting to despair, to get tired, of the situation: Silver's problems were starting to become his own, an onerous burden of thought. Silver's behaviour was become increasingly unexplainable. Confused refused to let go of his spinning head.

But, most importantly, they felt _responsible_.

Finally, Sonic roared, all the contents of his distress spilling out of his words, "Why? WHY?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" he stood up, glaring at a startled Silver, "Why does this have to happen to _you_?! Why do you have to act in such a strange way and cause us such an enormous amount of trouble?!"

"How could you?! I'm sorry, but none of it is my fault!" retorted Silver.

"Sonic, calm down, don't scream at him like that -" Shadow rose up as well.

"Don't you dare argue with me, Shadow, because I know you feel the _same_!"

Shadow fell silent.

"Do you, Shadow?" asked Silver quietly, forebodingly.

"Wh-why does it matter if I do?!" he yelled, "The important thing is that you should _not_ be screaming at our brother like that!" His voice was shaky.

"Shadow, _do you_? Do you feel the same about Sonic?!" demanded Silver, his expression rigid, almost twisted in anger.

The ebony hedgehog ignored him, and turned to his blue brother, raising his index finger, "Sonic, you better apologise to Silver _right now_."

And that partly answered Silver's question. He, too, got up, and threw himself between his brothers, "There's no need for _that_."

"Why not, Silver?" said Shadow.

"Because…" he seethed through gritted teeth, "Because you don't even _believe_ …you clearly don't believe that I deserve an apology."

The black and blue hedgehogs looked at his brother in a dumbfounded manner. Sonic snatched a glimpse at Shadow, _Dude, I'm so sorry…_

 _You better be…look what you've done,_ he scowled back.

"I can't believe that both of you think of me like this…" Silver sunk down to the ground, a voice, like an arrow, shot through his head, as clear as ever.

 _Your brothers…_ it said, _They've given up on you._

"No, Silver, no! Honestly -" began Sonic.

"Don't."

"I didn't mean a thing I said, Silver. Please -"

"Fine. Let me tell you. It's Mephiles…the voice belongs to Mephiles…" Silver forced through gritted teeth.

 _It's about time you give up too._

"And he's _coming_."

A malignant darkness emanated from his body, his heart, his soul. His quills stood vertically on end as he gasped for breath, gasped for the shattered remnants of his sanity. He was choking, coughing, sobbing, all at the same time, groaning and growling as he dropped to his knees.

 _Yes! YES! Embrace your inner darkness!_ The malicious echo of Mephiles growled in his head, _Show your brothers what you're made of, who you truly are!_

"Pathetic," Silver forced out his gagging throat. He shut his eyes. In the darkness, he saw himself - no more than a shimmering, ghostly reflection, looking back at him with despair, hands pressed upon an invisible barrier. Suddenly, a shadowy figure materialised between his gaze and his reflection. He observed the trembling reflection with silent pleasure, as the voice spoke words of finality.

 _Goodbye,_ Silver _the Hedgehog._

The shadow raised a hand, and corrupt bolts of energy launched themselves towards his reflection, which instantly vaporised into nothingness upon receiving the attack. A void emptiness overwhelmed Silver as the final pieces of his soul were destroyed. A chaos of voices sounded in his head - the discordant sound of Mephiles' booming laughter, and the desperate calls from Sonic and Shadow. The dark, shadowy figure turned towards him in satisfaction. His form was vague, no more than a silhouette in the darkness, but Silver could see his eyes - completely blank - staring back at him. And somehow, he knew, that he was now staring into himself. The shadow nodded, and faded into the darkness, into his soul, where the old Silver once existed.

 _Your transformation is complete! Goodbye, Silver the Hedgehog, embrace your new self!_ screamed Mephiles, his voice resonating into the eternal darkness of Silver's vision.

"Pathetic beings…" he snarled. And his heart was engulfed in dark, burning flames of evil, his insides morphing into a hellish inferno of pain and corruption. The naïvety, benevolence and righteousness that once belonged to Silver the Hedgehog were gone.

"How _pathetic_ of you to beg for mercy and forgiveness…" He raised his head, facing his stunned brothers, "But that's fine. Go down…go down on your knees…and plead. And beg. And _impetrate_ , for your sorry lives…" His irises flickered frantically - appearing, disappearing. It was then that an ink-like substance leaked out of the heart of the transforming hedgehog, engulfing every fibre of his skin. His fluffy chest fur turned dark and withered and dropped lifelessly to the floor in an uncanny manner. His psychic bracelets cracked and his gloves burned away as the ink slipped onto his bare hands, now imprinted with the circular pattern that was once on his gloves. They glowed the colour of blood, with lines extending up to his arms like pulsing veins. The bracelets on his legs also shattered instantaneously and his shoes vaporised upon contact with the destroying ink. His feet were marked by the same cursed pattern, cracking deep into his skin.

The last drops of ink trickled down his body, fully exposing the glowing, gaping hole where the liquid had burst out.

Finally, he opened his eyes.

Sonic and Shadow barely had time to gasp before the entire park shook and trembled under his existence. He bounced up and hovered high into the air, looking down with empty eyes and disdain towards his terrified brothers. His voice rasped, all low and menacing, serrated and broken.

"From this day on, you call me _Doom_."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Oops. :P Looks like some private time with Mephiles wasn't the greatest idea! Well...the moment you've all been waiting for has come! We'll see what the others have to say about this!

 **Mephiles:** Come to the Dark Side...

 **Silver:** No.

 **Mephiles:** We have cookies...!

 **Sonic & Shadow**: Silver, don't -

 **Silver:** OH MY GOSH I LOVE COOKIES! *flings himself to Mephiles*

 **Mephiles:** That's it, good boy. *pats Silver's head*

 **Sonic & Shadow**: *jaw drops to the floor*


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Here's a reward to you guys for enduring so much of Silver - I mean - DOOM's pain...a long Chapter that illustrates even more of his pain (or, rather, him starting to inflict pain on others - no more spoilers, I'll let you read on your own)!

And where's Blaze when we need her...?!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

Sonic and Shadow didn't dare move a fur - they stared, stupefied, at the being towering over them in silent but smug satisfaction.

Then, he waved his arms, and a harsh gust of darkness swept through the park. Sonic and Shadow raised their arms to their faces. When it subsided, the trees were almost barren, the grass dry and withered beneath their feet.

"What are you doing, Silver -" began Shadow.

" _Doom_ is my name."

"D-don't be ridiculous -" he stammered; but he knew it was hopeless, futile, to try and find the _Silver_ inside him again.

The dark entity effortlessly choked his brother with his psychic powers. "See what I can do to your _worthless_ lives?" he menaced.

"Silver, stop -" yelled Sonic, but he, too, was shrouded in a dark aura. Oppressed, he fell to his knees, spluttering violently.

"My name," he roared, and he flew towards the helpless hedgehogs, "Is _DOOM_. And I'll make sure you remember it." Blank eyes bore into the petrified orbs of the victims, whose arms grew shaky and legs wobbly. Their lips quivered, as if to say something, but couldn't.

The force was lifted, and he flew away, a comet of darkness in the distant sky of twilight, leaving two bodies in the ravaged landscape, gasping for breath. Memories of their brother seemed to all fade away under the glow of those lifeless, empty eyes.

* * *

"Are we really here?" asked Knuckles, as he scanned the area which now resembled more of a wasteland.

"Yeah, we are…" replied Tails, as he raised his head. He yelped in surprise as he faced the bare, naked landscape, "Oh, God, what happened to the park?"

"Look, it's Sonic and Shadow!" cried Amy, as the group approached hurriedly, "Are you guys alright?"

Utterly petrified, the two immobilised hedgehogs lay adjacent to each other under the gloomy, starless sky; their green and red irises were dim with trauma.

"S-Silver…it's Silver…" Sonic's voice wavered weakly.

"What about him? Is he alright?!"

"Doom…" mumbled Shadow, evidently horrified, "D-Doom is coming…"

"Silver? Doom? What is this about?" Tails voiced curiously.

"Guys!" shouted Amy Rose resolutely, "You need to relax! Let's go to the benches -"

"Relax, did you say, Amy?" Sonic shot up, his tone escalating quickly, "How are _we_ supposed to relax when our _damn_ brother transformed, right in front of our eyes, into a corrupt and dark _monster_ , huh?! Tell me!"

"Well, how am I supposed to know how much you've been through?!" she retorted back, "We're all trying our best to help you, and all you can manage is to scream at us!"

"Yeah, that's right!" spat Shadow, instantly sitting up as well, "We're screaming at you, so what?! You've not been of any help to us - all you did was follow us around the city, and" - he pointed at the Chaotix, who just arrived - "offer the _worst_ of counterfeit services to us! We accomplished _absolutely nothing_ with your much-needed assistance -"

"What?! Watch your mouth, hedgehog!" shouted Vector, "How dare you put the blame on us, when we've _volunteered_ to help as best as we could!"

"Yeah, how rude of you!" added Charmy. Espio said nothing, but glared silently at the fuming hedgehogs, shuriken in hand.

"So you could get our money in return? Since when did finance play a part in being voluntarily helpful, huh?!" screeched Sonic.

"Guys! Calm down! It's not any better if we're all quarrelling to no end -"

"Shut up, Tails! No one asked for your opinion in this!" howled Sonic, "All of you are utterly useless, despicable, _incompetent_ fools!"

"Foolish, are we, Sonic?!" Amy Rose, enraged, whipped out her hammer, "Let me show you how foolish _you_ are for neglecting our genuine sympathy and kindness!"

"Fine!" cried Sonic, "You asked for it!"

"I'm eager to settle a lifelong score with you, Sonic the Hedgehog, for every single time _you've stood me up_ -"

"Woah, hold it there, young lady!" uttered a surprised Vector.

"Not now, Amy!" Tails tried to hold back the pink hedgehog, but she easily shook him off. The hammer was raised, and the blue hedgehog prepared to launch themselves forwards, until a piercing, hysterical voice halted all motion.

"STOP _RIGHT NOW_!"

* * *

"Robotnik."

The scientist swivelled round in his Egg Mobile, facing the confronter, "Oh, how nice of you to visit, but I'm afraid I have no machines to fight you with - and is that a new fashion style? Very fitting, it seems."

"I'm not here for _nonsense_ , Doctor."

Eggman cocked his head in confusion.

"I'm here to strike an _agreement_."

* * *

Everyone turned around to face the approaching figure, Blaze the Cat. Her eyes burned with the passion and determination of a dancing flame, yet her demeanour was as calm as ice. When she spoke again, her voice was controlled.

"You're only aggravating the situation, by fighting with absolutely no rationality. Silver desperately needs our help, and yet all we could manage is immerse ourselves in a conflict of wildfire. Surely, we're all more useful than that - _much_ more useful."

Her voice was so magical that it achieved a soothing effect. Everyone fell completely silent - so silent, that they almost ceased to exist. Blaze was in the centre of the spotlight, and she was here for a legitimate reason.

"Silver is my best friend, and I am _not prepared_ to lose him. We can't just stand here, and let our fury and ignorance hurt him; by each and every second that slips through our fingers Silver becomes more consumed by his insanity, his madness, an innocent, benevolent soul slowly shattered into shards of corruption. How could we just simply stand by and let this happen?" She took a deep breath and continued, directly facing the blue and black hedgehogs, who were completely motionless, "Sonic, Shadow, Silver is your brother, your _dear_ brother. Take a moment to think about how much he's meant to you in your entire life - how much happiness and joy he's brought to both of you; all the tough times that you could not have been through without his encouraging words, his optimism, not least his mere existence."

The hedgehogs shuddered as the empty gaze of the corrupt Silver passed over their minds. It came to them abruptly that they missed their brother's golden orbs, forever full of curiosity and intrigue.

And if they didn't act fast enough, they might never see it again.

"So, please, all of you, listen to me - to each other - and cooperate together!" the voice of the pyrokinetic feline brimmed with genuine emotion. She pointed with certainty into the distance, towards the centre of the city concealed behind all the buildings and skyscrapers. "I'm strongly inclined to believe that Silver headed that way, into the depths of Central City. Time is ticking; but we still have a chance - and a great one, too!"

She finished talking. Everyone looked at each other. For a brief moment, Sonic's eyes met with Amy's.

"Amy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you with my aggressive words," he apologised, "I promise to make it up to you with a -"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonic," she interrupted, "I'm the one to apologise! It was so inconsiderate of me to assume that this was an easily negotiable situation. I underestimated the severity of the situation and Silver's status."

"Now that both of you've finished apologising, I believe we have a friend to save," said Knuckles, matter-of-factly.

"Not just a friend," elaborated Shadow, "A _brother_ ; a _dear_ brother, to save." And he looked up to see the flapping of wings.

"Sorry I'm late, children!" called Rouge, "I was busily pursuing a dark figure flying into the city -"

"It's Silver!" cried Sonic.

"Sure, it is; just thought you'd like to know - he was heading into the depths of the city. Did I miss anything significant?"

"No, and thank you, Rouge - we'll explain everything on the way into Central City," Blaze the Cat turned back, "Come on, let's go!"

The ebony hedgehog turned to his brother. "Silver's waiting for us."

"Yeah, and we'll save him, for sure," the azure hedgehog replied with the fiercest determination.

* * *

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" boomed an all-too-familiar voice, "If it isn't Sonic and co., distraught after the loss of their brother!"

"Shut up, _Eggface_!" shrieked Sonic, "You've nothing to do with this, it's better if you stay out of _our_ business!"

"If you don't, I will make sure you feel our wrath, and you'll be sorry for standing in our way!" screeched Shadow.

"Do I not?" he chuckled casually, and waved his arms frantically, as if performing a ritual. In no time, a dark comet appeared from the distance, and arrived at his side. The figure hovered, arms crossed, without a single speck of emotion on his face.

"No…" Sonic fell to his knees, "How could this be…Silver!"

The figure spoke, a single word, " _Doom_."

"How could you do this?!" screamed Shadow, one hand comforting his brother, the other limp at his sides.

Eggman answered instead, "We have come to an agreement and forged a _permanent_ alliance! Silver -"

" _DOOM_."

"Oh - sorry - _Doom_ the Hedgehog right here," and he gestured excitedly, "Is now on _my_ side!"

The black hedgehog continued, "I don't believe that someone like _you_ could be so cruel and heartless, and join our worst enemy!"

"And _I_ ," retorted Dark Silver, "Don't believe that someone like _you_ know who I truly am."

"It's still there - _Silver_ \- I know you're still there, deep down, on the inside…" Sonic said desperately.

"Call me _Silver_ one more time and I'll snap you and your mortal bodies in half with my bare hands…" he purred, fingers moving.

"That's right! It's no use!" shouted Eggman, "He's on my side! And together, we'll defeat you!"

Blaze fidgeted with her fingers anxiously as the pair in the sky prepared for their assault. Something - a hidden thought - nagged at her mind, but she couldn't quite retrieve and identify what it was.

Eggman drove forwards in his cockpit-style aircraft. He shot a few lasers to test the functionality of his vehicle. The hedgehogs dodged them with ease, but couldn't comment or joke, not with their brother on the opposite side.

"Move out of the way, Eggman," spoke the dark figure, "Leave it to me."

Dark Silver hovered forwards. He aggressively chopped his arms in the air, and blades of dark energy materialised, homing with great speed towards the hedgehogs. The gaping hole on his chest seemed to throb - a life on its own - at the use of his corrupt psychokinesis.

Blaze saw the movement, and subsequently the dried trails of ink-like substance on his chest. Suddenly, she remembered. She silently scolded herself for not remembering earlier - it could've saved so much time and effort, and nobody would have been hurt, not to mention that Silver would have been saved for sure.

 _That must be it._ Soleanna _._

"Run," she whispered, to the Chaotix, to Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Rouge, and stealthily rushed away from the battlefield. Rouge followed her and she, too, disappeared round the corner.

"I'll keep the citizens away," said the bat, and they soon parted their separate paths. Dark Silver did not notice - he was getting more and more enraged as his desired targets leapt over and ducked under his Psychic Knives. But he caught the trio of Vector, Charmy and Espio shuffling away from the chaos.

"Where do _you_ think _you're_ going?!" He shifted to the side to face the three escaping creatures, who were now frozen on the spot with dread.

"Sonic, you deal with Eggman," muttered Shadow, and he turned to Dark Silver and yelled, "Leave them alone! Why don't you pick on someone your own type?!"

"My own type? _MY_ own type?!" he cackled furiously, "You think your mortal life is comparable to mine?!"

"Why, in the damn name of the Chaos Emeralds, have you guys not run away yet?!" seethed the midnight hedgehog, to the trio standing limply on the side.

"Well, then," continued the hovering figure, "Let's test it out, shall we? Let's see whether the strength of a _weak_ mortal is equivalent to mine…or _not_." Dark Silver raised his hands, shooting out bolts of dark energy.

"Seriously, _run_ , before it's too late! And go evacuate the area!" screamed the black hedgehog, as he retaliated with bolts of Chaos energy. The explosion was so powerful it cracked the glass windows nearby, causing a few to shatter and crumble. Vector, Charmy and Espio scampered away amidst the explosion.

Next to them, Sonic was confronting Eggman. He rolled and swept Amy away while Knuckles carried Tails out of the way as a torrent of glass shards fell to the ground where they stood less than a second ago.

"Amy, Tails, Knuckles" he said, panting slightly, "Leave this place. Go to somewhere safe."

"But Sonic -" began Tails.

"Don't say anything, just leave."

"Sonic, we can't just leave you alone like this!" cried Amy, as she whipped out her hammer. Likewise, Tails clutched his wrench in his hands.

Knuckles bashed his fists together eagerly. "We can fight - we _will_ fight - with you and Shadow!"

"Yes, you can, and I don't doubt it for a single moment," he replied, "But we're not fighting to win the _battle_ ," he smiled, "We're fighting to win _Silver_ , to find him, and bring him out of his darkness, into the light again, where he always was."

They nodded in silence.

"And that job," concluded Sonic, pointing his thumb into the air, "Is best left to his _brothers_."

They grabbed each other's hands and gave a momentary squeeze.

"Good luck, Sonic," said Tails.

"I know you can do it," added Knuckles.

"Thanks. And make sure the citizens don't interfere; try and usher them away as far as possible."

"Not a problem," said Amy.

And they left, disappearing behind the corner.

"Where are they going?! They're not going anywhere!" called Eggman.

"That's none of your business, _Eggface_!" Sonic bounced into the air and smashed into the Egg Mobile with a Spin Attack. He landed, and quickly rolled out of the way of a wave of psychic energy, coming from Dark Silver's Psycho Smash.

The two sides came together, and the battle raged on: Eggman and Dark Silver in the air, against Sonic and Shadow on the ground.

* * *

Blaze barged into Silver's room. Upon noticing the atrocious mess scattered everywhere, and the shredded pages of books, her heart almost sank to the bottom of a sea of despair. She scanned every single surface, looking for _Soleanna_ , hoping that it was unharmed.

 _Surely_ Soleanna _has something to do with Silver…_ she thought, she hoped.

And she found it. Sealed shut, and in perfect shape, as if untouched, on the half-broken bedside table. She darted forwards to pick it up, and involuntarily it opened, revealing pages and pages of blankness - the pages didn't even seem to have ever touched water. The pyrokinetic feline raised her eyebrows at the emptiness of the book.

Suddenly, all the dispersed puzzle pieces seemed to come together. The ink, Mephiles, and - more recently - Dark Silver.

 _Mephiles is the ink_ , she thought, _That's why the book is blank, and that's why Silver has been having nightmares about him - because the ink had slithered into his body, his mind - out of the book! He's the evil behind all this!_ She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, feeling the flames awake and dance in her enclosed palms. _And that time we held the book together, it absorbed some of the ink out of him…Silver was struggling this whole time, trying to fight back his corrupt influence, and yet…_ Blaze choked back a sob, _And yet, we failed to understand his internal pains and despair…and that's why_ \- another sob - _he became Dark Silver…_

 _But Silver isn't lost, not yet!_ she opened her eyes, her hands, fingers flicking outwards, releasing magnificent specks of fire, _And he will never be, with_ this _…_

She left the room. On her way out of the Hedgehogs' household, she peered into the rubbish bin that she once threw the wet, tainted tissues into. She had crucial expectations that would confirm all the beliefs she held in her mind as she forebodingly looked into the cylindrical container. _It all rests on this…_

The tissues were still there.

The tissues were _clean_.

A surge of victory shot straight through her body. _But it's still too early to say…_ She repressed her ecstatic feelings, balancing the tome in her hand. _A fictional story, now a reality to be sealed back to where it belongs, so that it shall never disturb anyone again. Forever._

 _Silver, I'm coming for you, right now!_

* * *

"No, Sonic!" cried Shadow, as his brother was struck in the chest by a blade of dark energy. A deep gash appeared on his body, and red liquid oozed out of his wound. He fell to the ground.

"It's not over yet!" the _Blue Blur_ yelled, as he sprang back up, ignoring the pain of his wound and the discomfort of liquid trickling down his body. He lashed out at Eggman, but was knocked to the side by Dark Silver, a charging missile. He crashed to the ground.

The scientist beamed at his ally as if he were his saviour. Sonic glared furiously, "Grrr… _SILVER_. How could you!"

Bolts of darkness rained down from the sky. "It's _DOOM_. Get it right, mortal." He flew down to confront Sonic, clutching his chest in pain.

"Impertinent monster, leave _my brother_ alone!" howled Shadow, as he threw himself between the two. Dark Silver collided into him, and he flew into a rubble of rock.

"Come and _try_ me, weaklings," he said, gloating as the blue and black hedgehogs struggled to get up. Their gazes met, and reached for their Chaos Emeralds.

But they left it at home.

"What's the matter?" mocked Dark Silver, laughing, "Forgot your Chaos Emeralds? _Too bad_ ; I guess it's time to end this!"

"I'd be _damned_ if it was over!" Shadow was on his feet again, but an array of lasers charred his arms. He scolded himself for neglecting Eggman's presence.

"Look, I got him!" beamed the scientist, "How's that?!"

Dark Silver seemed unimpressed.

"Oh," continued Eggman, "Alright then. Let's try again -"

"No, you don't." In no time, Shadow was tightly gripping the Egg Mobile, stern red orbs staring straight at the terrified scientist.

"Oh, no," he mumbled, "Help! Doom!"

"Chaos Blast -"

The black hedgehog felt air flood out of his lungs as a dark comet smashed into him. He fell to the side, smashing into a tree, and weakly dropped to the hard tarmac. He climbed up, wincing at the searing pain in his arm; a large patch of skin was burned off, and fresh blood dripped relentlessly. Likewise, Sonic rose up with immense difficulty, feeling the strain on his arms.

"It's no use; keep trying!" jeered the hovering hedgehog, "You're fatigued. You're injured. You're _no match for me_."

The hedgehogs on the ground said nothing. They started to run in a circle, their legs as fast as it would take them. Feeling the Chaos rising inside them, lightning began to shroud the area, trapping the scientist and floating hedgehog.

" _Atomic Strike_!" they yelled, as a tornado of electricity whipped up from the ground. Amidst the whirlwind, Dark Silver smiled in mockery. He rubbed his palms together, accumulating dark energy. The remnants of debris rose, obeying his commands, as if they had a life of their own…

And they launched the attack, causing a tremendous explosion - a dazzling fulmination of light. The buildings nearby trembled at the sheer force, and massive amounts of glass and debris fell to the floor; the trees in the surrounding area succumbed to the energy, and what was left was an uneven stump, the trunk snapped off ruthlessly.

"Surely, Shadow… _surely_ it must've worked?" asked Sonic, though his tone was doubtful. Shadow said nothing in reply. They were both breathing heavily, overladen with sweat and exhaustion. Their legs buckled, almost cramping from the effort to stand.

A certain Egg Mobile flew and crashed into the distance. A great dent ruined the spherical shape of the vehicle, and a certain scientist bashed the controls in fury that his engines were not reactivating. The smoke from the explosion was slowly dissipating. Sonic and Shadow barely had time to make out the state of the hovering figure before they saw the floating bullets of jagged debris, preparing to be launched.

Their eyes widened as the first wave of projectiles came at them.

* * *

"Guys! Stand back!" shouted Vector, frantically waving his arms to stop the enthused crowd from advancing. "It's too dangerous!"

"Something's happening!" yelled Amy Rose above the indignant roaring of the crowd, "And all we know that it is a life-threatening situation!"

Knuckles, Charmy, Espio and Tails were also nervously pushing the ever-growing crowd back, despite their collective protest.

Blaze joined the very back of the mass of moving citizens; she sighed. Her hands were getting sweaty from gripping _the book_. _How could I make it past all these people?_ she thought. Agitation grew, and a flame flickered in her free hand.

She dropped the book behind her. Closing her eyes, she pictured herself holding a flame, a small one; it grew, in size and strength and brightness, and began to surround her, dancing around her body. Blaze opened her eyes; her irises glowed, a hue of warmness and passion, and threw her hands upwards. A sparse vortex of fire erupted from the ground, engulfing her, shrouding her in a fiery aura.

All heads turned to face her. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. Her aura flickered in uncertainty and nervousness, but she kept her calm and stood tall and royal. She didn't know what to say, but she took a hesitant step forwards. The crowd began to squeeze to the side, avoiding the flames, but also entranced by her majestic demeanour.

"Look!" whispered Tails, "It's Blaze!"

"She's on fire!" marvelled Charmy, "Literally!"

"What's she doing?" wondered Espio.

"Yeah," muttered Knuckles, "Wouldn't it be unfair to let her through like this when we've been fighting a crowd of angry citizens for the past hour or so?"

"Blaze is reliable, and I trust her," said Amy, "And so does everyone in the crowd."

A clear path loomed in front of her. She hadn't expected it to be that easy.

"Th-thanks," she stammered, fires subsiding; she saved one small flame in her palms, in case she would need it later. She scooped up the book, and ran straight ahead.

* * *

Sonic and Shadow were weakly sprawled across the debris on the ground. Sonic, in addition to his deeply-vented gash on his chest, had several smaller ones, across his face, his body. One of his ears were severely cut and blood still dripped from the injury, and his left eye was almost completely shut, swollen and bruised from the impact of a heavy rock. Shadow had several cuts on his legs, and large patches of skin were peeled off his arm, revealing raw, bleeding skin; his chest fur was almost completely drenched red, and a giant cut extended through the side of his face.

Dark Silver dusted his hands in satisfaction. "It's _game over_ now!"

"Yes! _YES_!" roared the rotund scientist, still in his dented machine, "Finish 'em off!"

The red markings on the body of Dark Silver glowed bright. He picked up piles of debris, and amalgamated them into an ever-growing sphere of chaos. Slowly, he raised his arms. Sonic and Shadow winced at their injuries; they looked up in foreboding, waiting for the guillotine to fall.

Dark Silver hurled the ball, a meteor of debris. The two hedgehogs squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

 _CRASH._

But it never came. They opened their eyes with uncertainty, and saw the Egg Mobile, not far away, destroyed and in flames. A devastated figure crawled out from his fuming vehicle, wailing, "H-how…how could this be…?!

"HOW COULD YOU _BETRAY_ ME?!" he bellowed.

"Miserable creatures…did you really think I would be content to be in an alliance with someone like _you_?" he chuckled casually, "How ignorant and weak the mortal mind is…"

Sonic and Shadow was overwhelmed with disbelief. Even as their arch-enemy since forever, they felt a great deal of sympathy and pity for him.

"You're useless, and of no help to me at all…" the dark entity continued, "Your constant, pointless voice irritates me more by each second, and makes me all the more compelled to get rid of you _forever_."

"No, don't do this to him…" Sonic managed weakly.

"Ha! Of course I wouldn't! Why would I," and he cackled, "Why would _I_ expend and waste my energy on such a worthless specimen?"

"Silver, please -"

"It's _Doom_!"

"Silver…" the ebony hedgehog faltered, " _Silver_. Please, listen to us -"

"Who's _Silver_?" he retorted mockingly, "That pathetic, hopeless fool of a hedgehog? That incompetent weakling that nobody ever cares to notice, that nobody ever appreciates?!"

"No! It was never like this!" yelled Sonic, his voice driven by desperation.

"Then _what_ was it like, huh?! _Tell me_!" screeched Dark Silver, furious and enraged.

"If only you'd listen to us -" screamed Shadow, but wisps of darkness shrouded his body, cutting his words short. The markings of the floating hedgehog glowed red, malevolent and harmful; hands outstretched, he grasped his gasping brother tight at the throat with empowered psychokinesis.

"Idiots! I don't have time for your incompetence!" Dark Silver rose higher into the air as he dropped his brother to the ground. Arms lifted, he boomed, "Citizens of Central City, prepare to perish _under my bare hands_! I will conquer and dominate the world with justice and dignity. I will transform this place into my own _Crisis City_!

"And I will find a proper _ally_ to aid me in doing so."

At this moment, a certain purple feline arrived. She was evidently nervous, and had her hands held behind her back.

"Ah, Blaze the Cat," said the dark hedgehog, "I was looking for you."

The purple feline stared at the hovering figure of darkness in the sky, and looked ahead, seeing three fallen, lifeless figures on the ground. "No…Sonic, Shadow! And…Eggman?"

"Blaze…run. _Run_ , while you can!" forced Sonic.

"You have no right to talk to her, pathetic being. She's mine to address, and mine only," commanded Dark Silver. He turned formally to her. "Blaze…it is my honour to invite you to join me and be my ally. We will gloriously conquer the world and right its wrongs, bit by bit, and you shall aid me to erase all those who dare defy me." At this, he glanced malignantly at the fallen figures on the ground.

"Silver…no," croaked the purple feline. "That's ridiculous."

" _Doom_ is my name. How many times do I have to remind you _pathetic mortals_ of my glorified _name_?! But don't worry," he continued, "You're not one of _them_. Which is why I cordially invite you to become my sidekick."

"Alright, fine, I agree," sighed Blaze. Her hands tightened on the tome behind her back. _Now's not the time; not yet, Blaze. Keep your cool. Keep your calm._

"What…? _What_?!" cried Shadow, "You give in, just like _this_?! Surely not, Blaze…you can't."

"Don't tell her what to do," threatened the dark hedgehog, jabbing a finger at his brother. "If either of you do again, I'll smash both your dear lives into _splinters_."

"No, you won't. You wouldn't -" started Sonic, but his words were stuck as his windpipe was tightened, constrained. He looked helplessly into the eyes of his oppressor, who glowed with malignant triumph.

"Well, I'll be more than happy to prove you _wrong_."

"No, Silver - uh - _Doom_! D-don't do this!" stuttered the feline.

"Why not?" his grip on the blue hedgehog relaxed momentarily; he coughed and spluttered in despair. Dark Silver cocked his head to the side, still looming over Sonic; though his eyes were a blank canvas, Blaze could feel his glance. "You're on _my_ side now, Blaze. For every single one of my actions, I expect full support and approval from you as my _esteemed_ sidekick and ally. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes." Her hands shifted behind her back. _Not yet…I need to get closer._

Dark Silver noticed.

"What's the matter?" he turned away from the gasping cerulean hedgehog, towards her, "What are you hiding from me?"

"What do you mean? I'm hiding nothing."

"Humph, fine," he let out a brief chuckle, "Of course you wouldn't keep anything from me."

 _Phew…by the name of the Sol Emeralds, that was close._ Beads of cold sweat threatened to emerge on her forehead. She forced herself to stay collected.

"So, let's get to action immediately," announced Dark Silver, as he landed in front of Blaze.

"Sure…what shall we do?"

"I can't believe she is giving in so easily…" Sonic mumbled to Shadow, almost sobbing.

"No, me too," he replied feebly.

"I don't think _giving in_ is the right phrase to use," he whipped his head around, saying, "She made a conscious decision - and she could not have made a better one - in joining forces with me," he cackled madly, "And don't you even think about muttering things behind my back. My ears are quite phenomenal." He continued to laugh, until Blaze interrupted.

"Sorry, but…the plan?"

"Oh, yes, that's right," instantly, he stopped laughing. This suddenness sent a chill down her spine. "Firstly, I want everyone to fear _me_ , and me _only_. This means…" he pointed a straight finger at the perishing scientist in the distance, "We will eradicate all things _Robotnik_ from existence. _Permanently_."

"You're joking!" Eggman screamed, coughing.

"I am _not_. Your glorious days as a pathetic, unsuccessful villain are over, and henceforth, all the citizens of my _Crisis City_ will cower in fear as I tower and rule over them!"

"Oh, for the Chaos Emeralds' sake, the rhymes…" grumbled Shadow, burying his face in his palms, "Save me…"

Dark Silver ignored him. "Yes, and we shall start with _you_ , Eggman. On second thoughts, I've decided that I will pulverise every particle of your soul into nothingness with my unrivalled powers - it wouldn't take more than a single speck of energy to do so - and you will cease to exist. And I will grant you permission, Blaze, to support me in doing so. Your fire is a highly valuable asset, and incineration is stunningly beautiful; I'd like to regard it as highly extravagant art form. Just imagine his very being, perishing in flames, and his atrocious base too, all under the tranquil night sky, amidst the beautiful _nightlight_."

His words caused Blaze to shudder and twitch. The book almost slipped out of her sweaty hands. She twisted back to catch it.

Dark Silver narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. There really _is_ something behind your back, Blaze. Care to tell me what it is?" the dark hedgehog probed suspiciously, "Allies don't keep secrets from each other…show me what you're _holding_."

"No, I can't -"

"Show me. _NOW_ ," he demanded.

 _Fine. Here we go._ She whipped out her hands, holding a certain novel titled _Soleanna_.

Dark Silver recoiled at the sight of the book. "No…no. Put it back, Blaze!" he cried, resisting the urge to retreat, "No, in fact, throw it away, as far as you can!"

Hesitantly, she stepped forwards. The influence of the book repelled him, causing him to retreat hastily, like similar poles of a magnet.

"Burn it!" he screamed hysterically, "Burn it to ashes with your flames!"

 _He's afraid,_ she thought. _He won't do anything to me._

Dark Silver hovered above Sonic and Shadow. He looked at Blaze, an expression of contortion and paranoia, "If you don't get rid of that _thing_ this instant, I will kill them."

 _But he can still hurt_ them _._ Her mind throbbed as hope seemed to drain out of her.

"Listen to me, Blaze," he cooed, deliberately tempting, but with a certain fearfulness in his quivering voice, "Burn it; _destroy_ it, for my sake, for my freedom! That's the only thing that can put me back to stasis…" He almost whimpered, "Don't let it happen. Without _that_ , I can truly be free, and the world shall be mine - ours - please, do it for my sake!"

Blaze hesitated, feeling the miniature flickering flame she saved in her palm.

"And if you do," he continued, grinning madly, his voice still shaky, "I will spare their lives!"

The pyrokinetic feline opened her palm, instructing the fire to grow bigger and bigger. Gradually, it morphed into a fireball of lava so intense that the surroundings were highlighted with an overwhelming orange hue.

"No, Blaze! Don't!" cried Sonic.

"He's lying!" yelled Shadow.

"Shut your _mouths_ , mortals," he kicked them in the head, causing them to yelp in pain, "Yes, Blaze, do it! _DO IT_! Burn that _damned_ book! Burn away my misery, and suffering, and bring me the freedom I've always yearned for!"

The sphere of flame grew expanded evermore, inflated by a cumulating, burning element. Minuscule flames danced excitedly on the surface of the fireball, its contents waiting eagerly to be released. The book, in her other hand, seemed to shrivel at the scorching temperature. At the sight of this, Eggman hastily limped away, leaving his fuming ball of metal static and abandoned. Dark Silver was too obsessed to realise his primary target had escaped.

"Oh, yes…it's coming! I can feel it, my bonds, melting away! I shall soon be free! _FREE_!"

Blaze raised her roaring ball of fire, her gaze intensely fixated on the tome. Despair dominated the spirits of the blue and black hedgehogs. Their mouths were open, their expression completely twisted with hopelessness, but no sound came out. They were rendered incapable of speech, of voice, as they saw the raised fireball, and the dark, floating hedgehog boom with deranged, depraved laughter. They expected the fireball to come crashing down, tearing and shredding apart every single particle of its pages, its cover, its contents.

"Now, Blaze, anytime now would be _great_!" he urged, insane and ecstatic. His entire being now shook with excitement, and he relished the prospect of finally being free and invincible…

Blaze howled, unleashing her monumental flame.

Dark Silver clamoured in astonishment as the burning comet approached him rapidly and inevitably. He screamed as the consuming fire shrouded his body, seeping into the pores of his skin, seemingly burning his fibres to nothingness. His insides were inflamed with outrage at her betrayal, the ally he sought himself. He crashed, into the distance, in a devouring pool of lava. It continued to scorch him, putting him in a pure living hell. He couldn't see anything still, only confused flashes of red, orange and yellow that burned his eyes, his blank eyes that showed nothing but an unforgiving darkness. The longer the fire persisted, the greater the swelling of indignation inside him; he cried, he roared, he shrieked of betrayal, of injustice, and of curses; he swore to leave his demolishing scars forever; and he asserted to mark the city in a permanent state of desolation.

The fire extinguished. He was panting heavily, harshly, through gritted teeth, and was still cursing internally, until a textured object was pressed onto his chest, the hole where his heart was. The sedating effect was immediate. An ink-like substance gushed out of his chest, into the sealing relic, its pages glowing as it opened to contain its contents where it truly belonged. He stopped rasping. His facial expression relaxed to neutral. His vision slowly blurred. His thoughts stopped moving, as a distorted, swirling voice shrieked and begged insanely in his head. It was Mephiles. His screams grew fainter by the second, and soon, there was no more. The darkness of his skin began to fade away as the final words of the novel were rewritten. The circular patterns and venous extensions faded away, and his skin seemed to sow itself back together. His fur was pure, white and grey, again, apart from charred quills and large wounds - patches of skin torn off in a heartless manner - sustained from severe burns. Where the hole in his chest was, there was now a faint, circular scar.

 _Soleanna_ was complete once again. It closed shut, falling to the floor with a dull thud.

Blaze kneeled down beside the body of the hoary hedgehog. She leaned forwards, relieved to see her best friend again.

But then she realised that something wasn't right.

Silver was so _still_.

"Silver? Silver?!" she cried, grabbing the motionless body by his shoulders and gently shaking him, "Silver! Wake up! Please!" Forebodingly, she reached out a finger to feel his neck, desperately hoping for a continuous throb, any throb.

There was no pulse.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

*insert suspenseful music* At the end of a long Chapter of conflict and climax awaits you...a discomforting cliffhanger!

 **Sonic** : Hey, Blaze, how about you perform a rendition of _Sleeping Beauty_? Or _Snow White_ , or whatever fairytale it was that involved, y'know. And add a twist too, a gender reversal -

 **Blaze** : *inflamed glare, NOT WITHOUT BLUSHING (ooh!)*

 **Sonic** : *falls utterly silent* (Hey, Blaze, your face looks a bit red. Are you blushing? :P)


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

The grand finale is nigh! (I hope you didn't die of suspense while waiting for this Chapter to load...)

Please enjoy! :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

The crowd slowly became bored of being held back, and one by one gave up and dispersed around the area.

"Phew. They're _finally_ gone," growled Knuckles in exasperation.

"Hey, listen," said Tails, "Everything's silent."

"Yeah, the crowd is gone. Obviously it's silent," replied Knuckles, matter-of-factly.

"No, he's right," interjected Amy, "Everything's very _silent_. And do you know what that could mean?"

They all turned their heads in unison, where Sonic and Shadow had been fighting.

"We need to go back, and see what's happening."

"Amy, no," muttered Tails, "Sonic told us not to."

"He _did_ , but trust me. The battle must have ended, and…" she gulped at the thought of the blue and black hedgehogs, fallen and lost.

Tails understood, "Amy, I'm sure they've won! It's _Sonic_ and _Shadow_. Since when have they _not_ won a fight?"

The pink hedgehog sighed, "Yeah, but even so, we must prepare for all the possibilities and circumstances. Now…Chaotix!" she called. Immediately, the trio rushed over, snapped out of their idleness.

"Does everyone have their Chaos Emeralds?" asked Amy, "Knuckles, your Master Emerald? Rouge, yours too? And _you guys_ too?"

They named individuals all held out their Emeralds, brilliantly glimmering, despite the dark, night sky: Knuckles held out his, an iconic shade of green; Rouge had a yellow jewel in hand; while the Chaotix collectively held their aqua one.

"Right. We should be set. Be prepared to defend yourselves and support each other, if anything happens!" she shouted.

Together the group marched ahead.

* * *

Her entire arm felt heavy and immovable. Tears gathered in her eyes as she faced her motionless friend. Sonic and Shadow limped over. Their hearts were almost wrenched out of their chests at the sight of their brother.

"All that effort for nothing…" murmured Shadow, his voice uneven, his breathing stuttered, like a gatling gun.

"I killed Silver…I killed my best friend!" cried Blaze. She collapsed onto the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks. She smashed her fist onto the book.

"Blaze?!" a voice called, "What's the matter?" It was Amy's. Soon, the group appeared from the corner with the pink hedgehog in the lead and the others closely following. Their hands still gripped their Emeralds tightly.

"Silver…he's _dead_."

The group froze in their tracks.

"No way!" exclaimed Charmy Bee.

"D-dead?" voiced Tails, shocked, "That can't be!"

"But he's back to normal again!" observed Knuckles, "What did you guys do? What exactly happened?"

Blaze took a deep breath, and gave a sobbing account of the battle - and preceding events that led to this catastrophe. The book. The ink. Mephiles. Silver's dreams, to which Sonic and Shadow nodded in agreement. Silver's abnormal behaviour, receiving affirmation from the Chaotix, who shuddered at the thought of his violent outbursts. Sonic and Shadow filled in with his transformation. Then, the battle. Dark Silver's demands. His threats. His fear of the book. Her rebellion. Dark powers sealed into the book. Silver returning to normal…no sign of life. Dead.

She finished her tale, her voice strained and hoarse from crying.

And then she noticed the green, yellow and aqua Chaos Emeralds, glinting abnormally in the dark night.

"Guys," she said, a mixture of hope and fear in her voice, "There may still be hope! I'm sure of it!" She reached for her own, a purple one, fitting for her style. "The _Chaos Emeralds_ are as wonderful as a lucky charm; they turn one's thoughts into power, into reality…With all seven gathered together, we will be able to perform a ritual, and bring Silver back…to life!" She gazed deeply into her Emerald, entranced, yet melancholic. Memories of her best times with Silver emerged from the depths of the jewel; their frequent talks, about his problems, about casual things, jokes, and others; his curious orbs, his wandering eyes, his thoughtful, yet innocent, questions; his smile, shy and contained, his furry chest, his invaluable psychokinesis that has helped her in countless situations: from grabbing items too high to physically reach, to catching her in an accidental fall; and all the times she couldn't have made it through without him, his presence, his mere existence.

"Now we have four," she continued, no longer sobbing, regaining her strength and confidence, "The other three belong to Sonic, Shadow and Silver. Do you have it with you?"

"We left ours at home," answered Shadow, somewhat ashamed. "We'll go get it." He took a hasty step forwards, but the wounds on his legs sent an instantaneous surge of pain through his limb. He buckled down, growling.

"Shadow?! You alright?" Sonic rushed over to help, but sunk to the ground, his eyes squeezed shut in discomfort as a cramp manifested itself in his leg.

"Sonic! Shadow! What's the matter?" cried Amy, for the first time noticing their bruises and wounds in the absence of light.

"We're…fine!" groaned the blue hedgehog.

"No, you're not," stated Blaze. She turned to the approaching group, "Can you guys do us a generous favour and go get their Chaos Emeralds?"

"Yes, not a problem!" replied Amy, her voice cheerful and motivated.

"Ooh, jewel hunting! My favourite activity," said Rouge, excited.

"I'll easily find them before you, Rouge the _Rat_!" jeered Knuckles, balling his fists.

"Grrr…what a nuisance you are. But we'll see who's gonna pout and cry when I return flawlessly with all three Emeralds, Knuckie!" And she flew off.

"Knuckie?" repeated Tails.

"How dare you! Don't call me that!" The red echidna flushed in embarrassment, and bolted to catch up with his treasure-hunting rival.

"Since when did _you_ have nicknames, Knuckie?" chuckled Tails, as he and the remainder of the group rushed away.

"Never, Tails! I heard that! And it's _not_ funny!"

The whole group laughed their way round the corner. Blaze, Sonic and Shadow joined in weakly. When the group's quick footsteps disappeared, Sonic and Shadow each grabbed a hand of the unmoving white hedgehog; Blaze put a palm to his bare chest, and began stroking gently.

"Silver, everything'll be alright. We're here with you," said the azure hedgehog, a tone of fierce optimism; he gave the hand a tight squeeze, hoping to induce some life into his cold, lifeless figure.

"Help is coming," crooned the midnight hedgehog, "Don't you worry for a second that we've given up on you." He, too, held the hand more tightly in his palm.

"Most importantly," uttered the lavender feline, still rubbing his front body in large, steady strokes, "We missed you so much. And it'll be the greatest pleasure to have you back."

* * *

"Where is the third one?" growled Rouge in exasperation, "How can I, the highly-esteemed and renowned treasure hunter, not be able to locate a jewel in such a small place?!"

"Maybe you're not looking hard enough! Or maybe you're just not good enough!" mocked Knuckles - though he was starting to grow irritated for not being able to locate the final object himself.

"Well, I'd like to see you find it! Have you found it yet, echidna?"

Knuckles fell silent, and continued to rummage through the pile of wreckage in the ruins of Silver's room.

They each held an additional Chaos Emerald in hand: an ultramarine one in the fist of the red echidna, belonging to the blue hedgehog; and a scarlet one in the grip of the white-rose bat, belonging to the black hedgehog.

"Guys, any hope?" called Tails from the ground floor.

"Nope!" the echidna and bat shouted back in unison.

"Not from us, either!" Vector answered for the Chaotix, who were frantically moving objects - big and small - everywhere, and then replacing them, in hopes of discovering the wanted Emerald in some nondescript, unlikely place or corner.

"Where could Silver have put it? The house is only so big…" muttered Tails.

A sudden flash of realisation cut through the mind of the fox-boy. "Guys! Stop!"

Everyone stopped their frantic search. The sound of rapid movement dimmed immediately.

"There's no need to search further! Come downstairs!" he called. There was a quick flurry of footsteps on the wooden steps, and in no time, everyone was facing him.

"We've searched for so long, and yet there's not a single sign of the Emerald," he began.

"Exactly," muttered Espio, "All this has been such a waste of time."

"There's not a single sign of the Emerald. What could this mean?" voiced Charmy curiously.

"That's right. What could it mean? It means that we won't need to waste any more time," answered Tails.

"Silver must be holding onto his Chaos Emerald himself."

* * *

The group still hadn't returned. Sonic fidgeted with his fingers impatiently. His legs became restless, and moved up and down repeatedly, rapidly. Shadow was teetering on the verge of wakefulness and sleep. Blaze gazed into the starry sky, her thoughts growing more and more doubtful by the second.

The sound of footsteps startled the three dejected figures.

"We're back! Sorry to keep you waiting!" panted Tails.

"We weren't able to locate Silver's Emerald," remarked Amy, but to the dismay of Sonic, Shadow and Blaze, she hastily continued, "But we know where it is!"

"He must've been carrying it on himself the whole time!" concluded Tails, with nods from everyone else.

"Really…? How stupid of us…" murmured Sonic.

"Of course," added Shadow, " _Heroes_ don't forget their Chaos Emeralds. They carry it with them all the time."

Delicately, they ran their hands across his body, feeling for a rigid object. They turned him over and searched his back.

"It's not on him," said Blaze.

"Huh? No way - it must be!" responded Tails, suddenly nervous. He shuddered as he imagined everyone glaring sternly at him, full of blame, to have raised such an absurd idea.

"No sign of his Emerald at all," mumbled Sonic, depressed.

"How come? It wasn't in the house!" stated Knuckles blankly.

"No, maybe it was," muttered the fox-boy. Now everyone _did_ turn to him. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was saying. I thought that, maybe, since we've been searching for so long - having located the first two in such a short time - the third Emerald wasn't in the house…It's all my fault. I've wasted everyone's precious time -"

"No, Tails, it's _not_ your fault," declared Espio, "You've wasted nobody's time."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, kid," added Rouge.

"It's okay!" Blaze stepped in, "Tails, and everyone else, you _all_ did an _amazing_ job - thank you. But we might have to compromise and stick with six Emeralds instead of the preferred seven."

To this, the blue hedgehog cried, "Blaze, we can't!"

"He's right. The compromise is too dangerous for a ritual!" joined Shadow.

"If…if it doesn't work, Silver's body will be _vaporised_!" Sonic almost choked on his own voice, high-pitched and strangled. "And…everything would've have been for nothing. Silver would be _gone_ …" He started trembling in tears. Shadow limped to him and wrapped an arm around his body.

Blaze took a deep breath. "I know this is difficult for you to accept," she began, "But don't you think Silver would have wanted it this way?"

"What?! Blaze!" screamed the cerulean hedgehog, "You think we'd _want_ to sacrifice Silver?! Who do you think we are?!"

"No, listen - I meant _Silver_. He sealed away Mephiles for us all. What more could _he_ want? Silver would have agreed to this -"

"Of course, Blaze, I should have realised by now: _he's_ corrupted you as well. You almost decided to join that _monster_. You almost destroyed the book -" seethed the ebony hedgehog.

"How dare you…that was all a part of the plan to _save_ him! Silver is my best friend," she announced, tears rising in her eyes, "And there are things that best friends share together, things that are even deeper than _brotherhood_."

The two hedgehogs said nothing.

"Don't you think," continued Blaze, "That Silver would want to see us smile again? Anything that's worth a try, anything that could make us all happy again, Silver would have done it, for _us_ \- and even if…even if it doesn't work, Silver would be so glad to know that we haven't, for one moment, given up on him. Don't you think? Sonic? Shadow?" With a shaky hand, she held her Chaos Emerald in her palm.

"Blaze is right," said Rouge, holding out her Emerald while handing the red jewel to Shadow, "And I don't see any other way this could work."

"It'll be worth a try," nodded Knuckles, his green Master Emerald in one fist, Sonic's blue charm in the other. He stepped forwards to give it to its rightful owner.

"It's _definitely_ worth a try!" elaborated the Chaotix, with the aqua Emerald resting in Vector's palm.

"Yes, I'm sure it will be," responded Blaze, "Thank you, guys."

The six bearers of the Chaos Emeralds arranged themselves in a circle surrounding the lifeless body. Delicately, they placed their jewel on the ground simultaneously, and kneeled, filling their thoughts with positivity, hope, and belief. For a brief moment, the Emeralds on the ground twitched and stood straight up. Then, to everyone's dismay, they fell to the side with a faint tintinnabulation.

The group tried again. This time, the Chaos Emeralds did not drop to the floor, but instead continued to float, levitating higher and higher, until they rose into the sky. They shone brilliantly, radiating colourful light in all directions, the six brightest stars in the dark night.

 _The Chaos Emeralds are as wonderful as a lucky charm; they turn one's thoughts into power, into reality…_

Silver's body was glowing.

"What?!" shrieked Sonic, "This can't be! It's way _too soon_! _NO_!"

"Guys, stop!" screamed Shadow. Everyone got up from their kneeling position and stared at the hedgehogs in disbelief. But the Emeralds still sparkled, its hues more and more intense. The body of the white hedgehog was entirely shrouded in a radiant Chaos; he, too, was lifted up by an unfathomable force, his posture perfectly stiff, arms not loosely hanging to the ground, but rigidly fixated to his sides. The Chaos Emeralds weaved a barrier of translucent light between its bearers and the floating body, preventing a certain cerulean hedgehog from penetrating and reaching out to his brother. He sunk back into the embrace of his ebony brother, who was in equal despair. Everyone stared, not daring to blink for a moment. And something surfaced from the very centre of light.

Blaze noticed it first. She cried out in shock. Subsequently, Sonic and Shadow noticed, and they, too, yelped incredulously, tightening the grip on each other's shoulders; followed by Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, the Chaotix, each and every one of them gasping in bewilderment.

They were stupefied.

The seventh and final Chaos Emerald emerged from the heart of the hoary hedgehog. The suspended Emerald, glowing a hue of grey, slowly moved towards the other six, shifting such that they were all equidistant from each other once more. The circle was complete, and the vivid colours of the Chaos spectrum beamed collectively, a rainbow sun, as if the darkness of the night was gone, dissipated under the dazzling radiance. The Chaos Emeralds slowly approached the centre - towards the heart of the white hedgehog - and seemed to merge and weave into each other. Sonic clamped his fists; Shadow clenched his jaws. _This is going to work. This is going to work. Silver will be saved._ Desperate for their brother's salvation, they went back on their knees, and prayed, and wished, and hoped, that the Chaos Emeralds received their sincerity. _Nothing else mattered now,_ they thought, _We'd give up anything - everything - if Silver could be saved. We'd leave the house; we'd live a wandering life forever; we'd fight all day, every day, if we have to: Eggman, and anyone else. But we would do all this with Silver. As long as he is with us, we would do_ anything _-_

An intense explosion of light threw them off their stance. Everyone was blown apart amongst the Chaos. And the surroundings seemed to have vanished; there was nothing but light - pure light - and the dishevelled figures stood within an enigmatic landscape of blankness. Sonic and Shadow looked around. Nobody else was present; only them. The fulmination dimmed and died down, and all was silent, all was speechless. Yet, they could hear a clear, distinct voice, the voice they all missed for eternity. The soul of Silver the Hedgehog levitated in the air, a ghostly, translucent figure. The hearts of the blue and black hedgehogs were almost mercilessly ripped from their chests as they faced their pale brother.

"S-Silver? Is that you?" asked Sonic, his tone desperate.

The ghostly figure nodded and smiled warmly in return.

"Are you…are you -" croaked Shadow.

 _Dead._

The ghostly figure smiled more wildly, revealing a pair of gleaming teeth. The beating hearts of Sonic and Shadow thumped against their chest madly as they waited for a response, waiting for the words to come, the action to strike.

The guillotine was about to fall.

But it didn't; to the immense relief of the cerulean and ebony hedgehogs, the translucent figure of their brother shook his head.

"Sonic, Shadow, it's _so good_ to see you again."

All it took was one brief head movement, and one pronounced sentence, to achieve a much greater impact than a guillotine of emotions. A torrent of tears flooded down the faces of the shattered hedgehogs. They cried inaudibly without movement as the tears trickled down their cheeks and fell, one by one, to the ground. _Silver is_ alive _. Silver_ is _alive. And that's all that matters._ They recalled their solemn pledge; it filled their hearts with the greatest pleasure, being able to spend forever with their brother, whom they missed so much: they imagined themselves travelling together as outcasted figures, fending for each other; they pictured themselves in an intense battle, supporting each other, executing perfectly-timed group attacks, foiling the enemy's plans together; and, taking a leap back into a more realistic scenario, they visualised themselves simply being with each other, in the park, idly enjoying the sunshine, watching the leaves fall one by one, observing the movement of the clouds, the trees in the wind, the gradual change of day…

 _That's all that matters._

"I called you here," the apparition-like figure began, "And you two only. Not one else; not even Blaze." He watched his sobbing brothers with an innocent sadness. "I thought it'd be a great opportunity for us to enjoy some brotherly time together."

He flew forwards, and materialised, as if he had transgressed an invisible barrier, across a dimension of illusion to reality. His body was no longer pale, but fully alive; his skin was no longer faded, but became the light-grey it always was, his iconic, memorable colour; and his expression was all the more real and convincing as he landed on the ground, approaching his sorrowful brothers. His eyes were illuminated by an enthusiastic shade of gold like it always was; the prominent hue of curiosity returned, watching dolefully over the crouching hedgehogs. He reached out his bare, ungloved hands, one to each brother. They looked up, their eyes gleaming with wetness. He smiled. And they smiled, too. The tears no longer flowed, but stayed where they were, and the azure and midnight hedgehogs put their gloved hands firmly in the palms of his. Their gazes met, green to red to yellow; and their grins became larger still, their hearts beating in rhythm, in unison, in rapture and bliss.

 _There are things that best friends share together, things that are even deeper than brotherhood,_ Blaze had said. But there are also things that only brothers share together.

Things that go beyond the relationship of a best friend.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

And...that's - not it (there's still an Epilogue, so please don't stop here)!

But the general storyline has concluded. Happy endings! :)

 **Silver** : So I'm not dead? Hooray! :3

 **Sonic & Shadow**: *Spin-dashes into Silver and wraps him tightly into a hug*

 **Silver** : Hey! Ah! Stop! I can't...breathe...!

 **Sonic** : You're never stepping over to the Dark Side again...

 **Silver** : Does it mean I can't have cookies anymore?

 **Shadow** : YES. NO COOKIES FOR YOU. EVER.

 **Silver** : *cries* (No cookies? The pain is real!)


	9. Epilogue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I've decided to split the Epilogue from the last official Chapter. I don't know how this will turn out - the Epilogue is extremely short, after all - but I think that putting it in a section on its own can truly bring the story to a cyclic conclusion. (The story itself was completed some time ago - apologies if this sends you followers an update notification! Nothing new has been added, apart from, of course, Author's Notes.)

I believe I've tied up all loose strings...? And even if I haven't, you're always welcome to muse and use your creative imagination to tie them up yourself (metaphorically, of course). And, finally, onward to the story's much anticipated post-ending, which, I hope, will bring you a sense of satisfaction from completeness!

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

* * *

A certain white hedgehog sat on his bed, on his blanket, with a novel in hand, titled _Soleanna_ \- it wasn't until today that he had finally decided to finish the book. Most of his wounds have vanished off the surface of his skin, and his chest fur was already starting to grow back, a small patch of white snow. He flipped page after page, eager and intrigued to witness the anticipated ending to the story. His golden orbs moved left and right, scanning in every single line and detail…

 **Fireworks shot into the air as maids, clothed in robes of gold, danced elegantly on the ship. Standing atop an ornate platform was none other than Princess Elise herself, waving to the cheering public.**

 **A blurred figure dashed through the gathered crowds on the side of the river; a gust of wind followed in his wake. The Princess whipped her head round just as a feather from her hair was carried away by the quick breeze. She gazed into the distance, a sensation of nostalgia swelling in her heart.**

 **"Miss Elise?" one of her maids asked.**

 **"It felt like…someone was calling me," she replied dreamily.**

 **"I'm sure it's just the wind," another maid reassured.**

 **The Princess nods, "Of course. But it felt so…familiar somehow."**

 **The sound of fireworks continued in the nightly backdrop, and the Princess continued to wave to the crowd, booming with greater and greater excitement. The lone feather floated higher and higher into the air, and finally reaching an elevated platform, where the blue hedgehog stood, watching the Princess's boat pass along the rippling river, different shades of nightlight reflected in the water.**

 **He smiled.**

 **Somehow, it felt so familiar.**

 **The Festival of the Sun continued throughout the night. Not for a single moment did the azure hedgehog take his gaze off the moving boat. Slowly, the vessel proceeded into the far distance, and, for one last time Princess Elise looked back. She looked up.**

 **And their eyes met.**

 **END**

Silver reached the end. He smiled. He grinned.

 _The story was amazing!_ he thought, evidently pleased and delighted. He looked around and up. The repaired walls were as good as new, the clean, transparent windows of glass gleaming under the sunlight. He looked to his sides. His eyes hit the card on his duvet that was once neatly tucked in at the epilogue where he left off, a bookmark from Blaze. It filled his heart with warmth, and a slight sadness too.

 _Blaze. I haven't seen her in a while. Maybe she's busy with something,_ he mused, _I can't wait to see her again soon. We'll go to the park, like we always did, and talk, and laugh, and gaze at the sky until the sun descends into the night…_ he sighed, a reflective one, _I'm sure she's got plenty to tell me about! And I've got so much to catch up with, too…_

Now that he had completed the novel, a certain emptiness filled his stomach. The exhilaration was beginning to dissipate. All of a sudden, everything felt so quiet.

Then came an unmistakable explosion. Followed by another.

And he heard Sonic and Shadow's voice, calling for him.

He put his finished book aside shut, and excitedly skipped down the stairs, where his brothers were waiting for him.

"Hey, Silver!" called Sonic.

"Hey guys!"

"Are you ready to make some scrambled eggs?!" added Shadow, chuckling smugly.

"Hey!" retorted Sonic, "That was _my_ joke!"

Silver laughed. "Yeah, I am! Let's do this!"

Together, they flew out the door, ready to take on Eggman the way they always did.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

The opinions of the characters on _Soleanna_ (aka Sonic the Hedgehog 2006) may or may not be the same as the Author's...I take no stance in determining the extent of this.

To round up, I sincerely hoped you enjoyed this story! Reviews are greatly appreciated, particularly constructive ones! :D

This story was inspired by 'Abhorrence Under My Skin' by Zavraan. The significance of the title, which I have not explained until now, was obtained from Silver's theme song: 'Dreams of an Absolution' (but you guys probably knew that already).

All characters belong to SEGA. I claim zero ownership in arbitrary units.

 **Silver** : Woohoo! The story is finally finished! :3

 **Shadow** : You better be grateful that you weren't revived with a kiss...unlike _someone else_.

 **Sonic** :...*traumatic shuddering* (N-no...please, no.)

Have an amazing day, and, as always, thank you for reading! :D


End file.
